The Game of Life
by Rogue Fox
Summary: UPDATED! FINALLY! SEQUEL TO Yuki: When the world is coming to an end, those chosen by the gods cling to each other, praying and repenting. But one woman has the power to change it all. But is she strong enough to give it all up?
1. Some Things Never Change

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part One. Some Things Never Change  
  
A/N: Hello there, everyone! This is the sequel to "Yuki". There won't be as much supernatural battles or adventure this time, but they will be there, rest assured. This story is more about growing up, growing together, and growing apart. I count life as an adventure, so I don't think it'll be worse that "Yuki" was. Anyway, there will be more flashbacks to Himeko and Yami's past, and don't think Pegasus and Yami Bakura are finished, by no means! I'm still having fun! By the way, I got a lot of complaints that the POV was hard to understand in Yuki, so now I'll let you know who's talking. Anyway, we join Yuki, Yugi, and the group a little after the Epilogue, so a little more than six months after Egypt. So, read on as everyone in the group learns to love, hate, and leave things and people behind.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
It's funny, how you can live something incredible one day, then just pick up your normal life where you left off the next. I died in Egypt. But thanks to a supernatural artifact, I returned to life. And now, I'm living a normal life. Or, as normal as my life would ever get.  
  
" Dark Eternity! Take that!" Himeko shouted, chasing after Jou. I sighed and watched the small, really harmless balls of energy shoot past Jou's head. I was pretty sure that Himeko wouldn't really hurt Jou. But on the other hand, I wasn't positive.  
  
" I give! Uncle! UNCLE!" Jou bellowed. Himeko stopped chasing and gave him a dirty glare.  
  
" Give it. Now." She told him. I had no clue what she was asking for, and personally, I'd probably rather keep it that way.  
  
" Fine, here." Jou said, handing her a crumpled piece of paper. " But I know your secret!" he said.  
  
" What?! You read it?!" Himeko asked shrilly, blushing profusely. She shook her head furiously and screamed. " I'm turning into a high school girl!" she cried. Seto came down the stairs that led to his private study, where he retreated for privacy.  
  
" Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to the birth certificate I had to have forged for you, you are a high school girl. Not an ancient princess of Egypt." He said.  
  
" Yeah? So?" Himeko asked threateningly. Unlike Yami, she had adjusted to life outside my head very quickly. Yami was still working on it.  
  
" So you might want to consider acting like a high school girl, as opposed to a princess." Seto said, grinning. Himeko was still blushing in excess. I laughed.  
  
" Shut up, Yuki!" she yelled at me. She was dressed in a short black leather miniskirt that neither Yugi nor Yami approved of and a black top that left her stomach bare to about her middle. The top also had a heart cut over her chest, showing a fair amount of cleavage, and wound around her neck to the back, no sleeves. I suspected that she always wore her most daring outfits when she came over to our place, because of Seto. She had never told me flat out, but I was pretty sure she had a crush on him. I was fine with that. I had my own budding romance to contend with. And it seemed like no one was going to give me a moment's peace about it.  
  
" Hey, Yuki? Don't you have a date tonight?" Jou asked, flashing Himeko a malicious grin. He knew something she didn't want him to know, that much I was certain of. I decided to get it out of him later.  
  
" Yeah. I should be getting ready." I said, giving the clock a doubtful glance. It was my first date with Honda. I had finally agreed to go out with him. According to Mai and Anzu, I couldn't keep turning him down. Besides, I reasoned to myself, he's a nice guy, and you do like him. I stood and climbed the stairs to my room, Seto following me, as a new argument between Jou and Himeko broke out. It probably had something to do with whatever was on that paper Jou had returned to her.  
  
" You're really going out with Honda." Seto said, as though he couldn't quite believe it.  
  
" It's not like we're an official couple or anything. It's just a date." I protested.  
  
" I know." Seto said quickly as we entered my room. I was quite used to having Seto in my room, and it didn't bother me at all when he plopped down on my bed as I started rummaging through my closet. " Mind if I hang around?" he asked.  
  
" Do I ever?" I retorted good-naturedly.  
  
" Nope." Seto said, answering his own question.  
  
" Mai wanted me to wear one of her outfits, you know, the ones she designed, but I think I'll go with something a little more simple." I said. Seto nodded approvingly. I knew he approved of Mai's creations even less than Yami and Yugi did. I grinned. I had three men telling me what I could and could not wear. Of course, I'm not the daughter of Himeko's soul for nothing. I wear what I want, regardless of them. Although, tonight, I just didn't feel like any trouble.  
  
" It is your first date. So, where is he taking you, anyway?" Seto asked.  
  
" An Italian restaurant. He said it's pretty fancy." I said, pulling out a casual black dress that had spaghetti straps and came down to my knees. I went into my own personal bathroom, changed and came out for Seto's inspection. I knew he would be honest with me, and wouldn't lie just to get me out of something he thought was improper. Unlike Yami.  
  
" You look good." He said, nodding. I liked the look of approval on his face. I ran through a few other dresses, but Seto seemed to like the black one best. I had a lot of super-formal gowns I didn't even dare to touch for this occasion. I had those in the case of a ball or formal party, which Seto had taken to dragging me to so he wouldn't look like a total idiot.  
  
" Okay, now for shoes." I said, dropping to my knees to examine my selection. " How do you think these will look?" I asked, holding up a pair of black slip-on shoes.  
  
" I said you look good in the dress. I don't know a thing about shoes." Seto said, holding his hands up in surrender.  
  
" Hey, Yuki!" Himeko yelled. Seto grinned at me.  
  
" Ask her." He suggested, getting up and leaving the room.  
  
" What?" I yelled back.  
  
" We're coming up, you'd better be decent!" Himeko answered. I opened the door just in time to see her coming down the hall.  
  
" Who's we?" I asked.  
  
" We're we." Mai said, stepping out of Himeko's shadow. " Thought you might need my expertise on this." She added, grabbing me by the shoulders and dragging me into the bedroom. " Hmm. Nice choice. Simple, yet classy." She complimented me. " What shoes are you wearing?" she asked as Himeko stepped into the room and jumped onto my bed.  
  
" I was just working on that." I said, holding up the pair of shoes I still had in my hand.  
  
" Not those. You'd look too ready to take it off." Mai said, tossing the shoes in question aside. Her remark was lost on me.  
  
" What?" I asked in confusion, and she sighed.  
  
" Never mind." She told me, hunting through my collection of shoes. She held up a pair of high-heels I had worn only once. " How do you like these?" she asked.  
  
" Not at all. I still remember the blisters." I said.  
  
" Fine. I'm stealing them, then." She said, setting the shoes aside. I didn't care. My female friends and I had a habit of "stealing" from each other's closet. No doubt there were shoes in there that Mai had bought originally, or perhaps had stolen from Himeko or Anzu. What was mine was their's as well, and likewise. Himeko suddenly leapt off the bed.  
  
" I think I've got a pair that would look great!" she announced.  
  
" That's terrific, but Honda's going to be here in twenty minutes and your shoes are at your place!" I said, exasperated.  
  
" But our darling brothers are still home." Himeko said, picking up the phone I kept in my room. She dialed in her number and gave someone instructions as to which shoes to bring and to bring them in a hurry. Himeko officially lived with Yami and Yugi, but, like all of us, she seemed to travel from home to home. Many times she had slept on my floor, on the couch in Mai's apartment, even on Honda's couch when his parents were away. We had all slept everywhere, at everyone's home, but the most common hang out was our home, Seto's mansion. Seto often complained that his home was ground zero for all our little catastrophes. He always conveniently forgot that he was usually involved as well.  
  
Moments before Honda was due to arrive, Yami drove up to the mansion, Yugi in the passenger seat. Yami didn't seem to mind cars all that much, all though he had a big problem with microwaves, electric coffee pots, and much more. The latest on his list of dislikes was one of Himeko's new favorite CDs. A hard rock band. The way Yami had described it, it had been like a herd of elephants had been attacking him. I still thought that sight was worth big money to see. Yami jogged into the house, carrying the shoes in question, which found their way onto my feet in record time, and then he sized me up.  
  
" Nope." He said.  
  
" What?" I asked him, distracted.  
  
" Nope. There is no way, come hell or high water, that I'm letting you out of this house in that." He said. I glared at him. Yami was one of the few people that I had ever met that was immune to my glare. But I never gave up trying.  
  
" Give her a break, Yami. She looks great." Yugi said, flashing me an encouraging smile that I was grateful for. Yugi was as protective as Yami, but he was much more trusting.  
  
" She looks foxy!" Jou declared, earning a smack from Mai. " Ow!"  
  
" That's exactly what the problem is." Yami said, flashing me a grin, then throwing my over his shoulder. He, like Yugi, had grown considerably. Enough to leave me helpless when he decided to use force.  
  
" Ah! Yami! Put me down!" I cried as he started up the stairs. That had no effect. I decided to try a more subtle method. I stopped kicking. " Please, big brother?" I asked in my sweetest voice.  
  
" No." Yami said stolidly. I pouted and returned to my original plan of action, kicking and screaming.  
  
" Put me down now! Yami! Please! He's gonna be here any minute!" I cried, kicking and flailing my fists. I remembered Pegasus's goons carrying me, for a single instant, then I pushed that thought from my mind. " Yaaaaaaamiiiiiiiiiiii!" I cried, drawing out the vowels to a wail. I knew that would make him stop. Yami couldn't stand it when I sounded upset. True to his nature, he stopped and put me down. I jerked away from him and sprinted back down the stairs, Yami hot on my tail.  
  
" Yuki! Get back here!" he bellowed. I ran around the couch, and he leapt over it, ignoring the laughter of our friends. I sought shelter behind Seto, who just laughed and tried to step out of Yami's way.  
  
" Don't expect me to get into your sibling disputes." He said, but I stayed behind him. That turned into a game of running around in circles around him while Yami chased me. The chase stopped when the doorbell rang.  
  
" I can't believe he still rings the doorbell!" Mai cried. " Everyone else just comes right on in."  
  
" Tell me about it." Seto said, stepping away from Yami and me. I dashed away from Yami, yelling to Yugi for help.  
  
" He wants to stay on Kaiba's good side. After all, since Yuki lives with Kaiba, he could always place her under house arrest." Jou said.  
  
" I wish he would!" Yami yelled, charging at me. I leapt out of the way and followed Seto into the foyer. Honda smiled up at me, wearing a button up white shirt and a pair of slacks. That was one of the things I liked about him. He always looked so clean and well groomed. It was a quality I liked. Yami grabbed me from behind and tried to haul me off before I could say hello.  
  
" Yaaaaaamiiiiii!" I wailed.  
  
" Not this time!" Yami responded. I grabbed to the banister of the stairs, determined not to let him drag me up them. Himeko chose that moment to come to my aid, grabbing her big brother by the ear and dragging him off. I jogged back over to Honda and Seto, who were laughing.  
  
" Hi." I said, smiling at Honda. He was taller than me, more so than Seto. He smiled at me winningly. I was glad I had agreed to go out with him. I just wished everyone else would stop making such a big deal about it.  
  
" Awww. There goes my little sister, off on a date." Himeko said, nudging Yugi. Yugi smiled at me playfully.  
  
" Be good, you two. No hanky-panky." He said. I cocked my head.  
  
" What?" I asked. I hadn't understood. I looked at Honda, who was blushing grandly.  
  
" Um, yeah. Anyway, we're out of here. Don't blow anything up without us." Honda said, obviously trying to stop blushing. I decided this must be one of those things that I would never understand and let it go, following Honda out the door and to his car.  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I watched Yuki go out the door, in that black dress. She looked good in it. Really good. In fact, she looked great. Honda thought so too, I could tell by his expression. Yami glared at the door, the shrugged and plopped onto the couch I'd had moved into the room. The first couch hadn't been enough for all of us, unless Himeko was making us take one of her "sardine pictures," which found us all crammed together, grinning like idiots (with the exception of Yami, who doesn't quite trust cameras and numerous other modern technological objects yet), and usually looking like a bunch of over- eager teenagers on the trip of their lives. Himeko had developed a love for the media. She loved super stars, and her room both here and at the Motou household was literally caked in posters. She loved taking pictures, but liked being in the pictures more. That girl was born to be in pictures. She was so photogenic, it made most models I had seen look sad. She had Yuki's exotic beauty, crossed with her own type of strength, and sense of fun and danger. I had gotten into the habit of picking out the differences between her and Yuki. Don't ask me why. At that exact moment, Himeko took a running leap, landed on the couch, and threw her long bare legs across Yami's lap. I had seen her pull this trick before, except the subject then had been me.  
  
" Yaaaaamiiiii." she drawled, purposely drawing out his name in such a cute fashion she knew he wouldn't be able to resist. Yuki used the same technique herself, when she thought it was necessary. Difference number one; Himeko was much more bold than Yuki, who preferred to get what she wanted through a more subtle means.  
  
" Whatever it is, the answer is no." Yami said stolidly. I grinned at Jou, who returned it. Yami was very protective of all his little siblings, including the trio that Yuki brought into the deal, her boys. He even watched out for Mokuba. But his particular concerns lay with "his two girls," as he liked to call them. He was a severe keeper for his sisters, but I knew he had only the most loving intentions. His deepest desire was to protect them from all the maniacs of the world, even if those maniacs happened to include his own friends. Prime example; Honda. Honda and Yami got along great. Until Honda started asking Yuki out. Then, Yami regarded him as a highly dangerous element, and literally refused to allow either Himeko or Yuki to speak to him. However, Yugi had given them special permission to ignore him this time, so long as they didn't try to antagonize him on purpose. Himeko ignored both of them. She figured she didn't need their permission for anything. Yuki was, as always, more subtle. She started wearing Yami down almost immediately, until he finally gave into the date in question.  
  
" Aw! You don't even know what I'm gonna ask yet!" Himeko cried, indignant.  
  
" And I bet it won't make a difference if I do or not." Yami retorted, reaching for the remote for the TV. I tossed it to him, since he was out of reach. Himeko pouted, jerked her legs off him, and kicked him off the couch.  
  
" Fine! All I was gonna ask was if I could shopping with the girls tomorrow, but noooo, you don't trust me." She said, still pouting. I doubted that was true. Jou clapped me on the shoulder.  
  
" Well, I'm headed home. See you tomorrow." He said. I nodded and gave him the mandatory high five. I was getting good at this group thing.  
  
" See you tomorrow." I said as he and Mai went out the door.  
  
" Bye!" Mai called. Himeko waved to her energetically, her pout momentarily forgotten.  
  
" Bye-bye, Himeko!" Jou called mischievously. Himeko growled and chased him out the door, sending flying small balls of dark energy after him.  
  
" What dirt does he have on her?" Yami asked, pulling himself off the floor where he had fallen after Himeko pushed him.  
  
" Dunno." I said. " Whatever it is, it must be good."  
  
" Let's get home." Yugi said, pushing Yami from behind.  
  
" Go home yourself. I'm waiting for Yuki to come back." Yami said, plopping resolutely back on the couch.  
  
" Do you mistrust her that much?" Yugi asked incredulously.  
  
" I trust her just fine. It's the rest of the world I don't trust." Yami said matter-of-factly.  
  
" Well, I'm sure Kaiba doesn't want us hanging around, and I can't get home without you cause it's too far to walk and you're the one with the driver's license." Yugi said, yanking Yami to his feet. I loved watching these two argue. Despite the fact that Yami had a definite authority over his siblings, Yugi usually won all the arguments with him.  
  
" It's Himeko that doesn't want us hanging around." Yami grumbled, allowing himself to be pulled out the door as Himeko came back.  
  
" Bye, brothers! I'll see you tomorrow! I'm crashing here!" she called after them.  
  
" Oh, are you?" I asked.  
  
" Yep, I am." Himeko announced. " I rented a good movie. Want to watch it?" she asked, holding up a rented DVD. I smiled.  
  
" You were planning this all along, weren't you?" I asked.  
  
" No!" Himeko protested, a cute blush spreading across her cheeks. " I wanted to be here when Yuki got back, so I rented a movie to pass the time. You just happen to be here." She explained. I doubted it, but I accepted it nonetheless.  
  
" Sure." I said, sitting down next to her on the couch after popping the DVD in. I was both pleased and uncomfortable with how close she sat to me, practically on my lap. My last thought before the movie started was about how Yami would murder me if he saw this.  
  
It was near the end of the movie when I first noticed Himeko leaning on my shoulder. I didn't really care. I liked her. I liked the dangerous air she gave off. I liked her exotic good looks. But most of all, I liked her, herself. Then, I noticed her hand, creeping up my chest. Hormones started moving pretty quick at that point. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. The last thing I wanted was to lose it.  
  
" Himeko?" I asked, despite the still going movie.  
  
" Yes?" Himeko asked. God, I thought, she's got a great voice.  
  
" You know how angry your brothers would be..." I said, trailing my voice off.  
  
" I don't really care." Himeko stated evenly. Her lips pressed against my cheek and I sighed, wrapping my arms around her. I kissed her first, surprisingly. I had honestly thought I wouldn't have the guts to do it. She was a great kisser. Her lips felt like silk, teasing me. Why did I feel so guilty, then? Like I was betraying someone. Himeko broke the kiss and nibbled seductively on my ear, running her hands through my hair. She was very good at this. How could something like this feel so right and so wrong? I tried very hard to forget the conclusion I had come to in Egypt about Yuki. Besides, I was willing to admit even then, that it could be Himeko I was falling for. The movie played on, and we ignored it. After a few minutes of making out, I heard a car pull up and broke a passionate kiss abruptly.  
  
" What?" Himeko asked, her voice a whisper in my ear.  
  
" Yuki's home." I whispered back, turning to the movie and trying not to look too guilty. Himeko backed off of me, and I was silently grateful.  
  
" Hey, let's go spy on her!" Himeko suggested, enthusiastic yet quiet. She pulled me off the couch before I could protest and hauled me to the door. We peeked through the windows beside it as Honda and Yuki approached the door, Yuki laughing at something Honda said to her. I was terrified Yuki would see me. This was the ultimate betrayal of her trust. Spying on her? God, why did I let Himeko drag me over her, I thought despairingly. Thankfully, Yuki's attention was on Honda. On the other hand, maybe that wasn't something to be thankful about. It was a dark night, no moon, and I had not been smart enough to leave the porch light on. But we could still see them, and hear every word that was said.  
  
" I had a great time." Yuki said, her voice characteristically soft. She, like the mother of her soul, had a great voice.  
  
" Yeah, I did too." Honda said. I grinned. I had never seen him so flustered. " Maybe we could go out again sometime?" He obviously really liked her.  
  
" I'd like that." Yuki agreed. Then, very quickly, Honda leaned down and kissed her quickly on the lips. I wasn't the only one pulling some moves tonight. Although Honda was way more in line than I had been. It was just a quick grazing of the lips, but I could tell even from my vantage point that Yuki liked it as much as he did.  
  
" Good night." He said.  
  
" Good night. See you later." Yuki replied. She stayed on the porch as he left, and Himeko and I made a mad dash for the couch. I jumped into it and Himeko leaped over me, her top sprawled over my lap.  
  
" Get up!" I hissed. Himeko giggled and sat up, although I was having trouble not giggling myself. Yuki walked in the door and into the room we were in.  
  
" Hello." She said. We both looked up as though we had just noticed her.  
  
" Hi." We both said in unison. Yuki gave us a curious look, but decided to ignore it.  
  
" I hope you weren't waiting up for me. We were running a little late." She said, pulling off the shoes Himeko had loaned her and handing them back to her. Himeko accepted them with a nod.  
  
" Actually, we were, but we started watching this movie and lost track of time." I said. " Did you have fun?" I added.  
  
" Yeah. The restaurant was great, both the food and the service." Yuki said. Then she grinned. " Honda even had the violin player come over and play a song for me." Jealously flashed over me, but I ignored it.  
  
" How romantic." Himeko said teasingly. Yuki glared at her briefly.  
  
" Well, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. I'll see you two in the morning." She said.  
  
" Goodnight." I called after her as she started up the stairs. As soon as we were sure she was out of ear shot, Himeko broke out into a fit of giggles, burying her face against my chest. I laughed from relief. I couldn't decide which was worse; Yuki finding out I had been spying on her, or Yuki finding out I had been making out with her sister. I was just glad she didn't know either way.  
  
" Wow, that was a close call." Himeko said, trying to stifle her laughter. She raised her head to look me in the eye. She had such beautiful eyes, just like Yuki's. Now I had two girls in my life with those gorgeous eyes. Sure, Himeko's had a more dangerous glint and lacked Yuki's soft kindness, but the similarities were still there. I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent as she leaned forward for another kiss. I didn't like how far this was going, no matter how good she tasted. Why was I holding back? I couldn't figure it out. I pulled my head away from her, despite the fact that my hands seemed to have developed a mind of their own.  
  
" Himeko..." I whispered. She ignored me, pressing her lips to my neck. " Himeko, stop." I said, more urgently. Still she was ignoring me, and it was getting steadily harder to ignore her and all those dumb hormones. " Himeko!" I said, a little louder than I had planned, pulling her away from me by her shoulders. She looked thoroughly annoyed.  
  
" What?" she asked.  
  
" Stop." I said simply. " You'd better go home now." I advised.  
  
" Why?" Himeko asked, trying to get close again. I wouldn't let her.  
  
" Because, you know we shouldn't. I know you know." I said, still holding her firmly by the shoulders.  
  
" There's nothing to stop us. My brothers can't scare you that much." She protested.  
  
" It's not your brothers. I think it's you." I said, breathing in deeply. There. I had said it. My first potential night with Himeko and I had just blown it forever. Note to self; SHUT UP!  
  
" Me?" Himeko asked in disbelief. Might as well go the whole nine yards, I thought sadly.  
  
" I'm not sure I trust you. I'm not sure you can be trusted." I said.  
  
" Ammon trusts me." She said, inching forward. My resolution was weakening. That outfit she was wearing wasn't helping at all. Himeko and Yami still called each by their Egyptian names, when only friends were around.  
  
" He doesn't trust you with men." I reminded her.  
  
" Well, who says I'm asking you to trust me?" she asked. She managed to get a little closer. I gulped and glued my eyes to her face. Did she enjoy watching me squirm?  
  
" I do." I said, pushing her farther back. " You need to go home now." I said, determined. Another part of me wanted to know why I couldn't have listened to the previous note to self and just shut my mouth. Himeko pouted.  
  
" I don't get you, Seto. One second, your body language is saying 'Let's go,' and the next, you're telling me I need to get out of here? What's the matter with you?" she asked. Just like Himeko to not hold anything back.  
  
" I'm trying to figure that out myself." I said. Himeko got off of me and stood up.  
  
" Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." She said. I stared at her. She had given in very quickly. I thought she would try to get me to cave a little longer. " Oh, and Seto? You're a great kisser. We should definitely get together sometime." She added, walking out the door. I stared after her, trying to decide if I hadn't dreamed it all. 


	2. Oreo's and Something Not So Sweet

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Two. Oreo's and Something Not So Sweet  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
I knew from the minute Himeko walked in the door, near midnight, that something was bothering her. That bothered me, because Himeko was one of those girls that strive to be untouchable. I didn't dare ask her about it then. Whatever it was, it was still fresh and the last thing I wanted was to be an outlet for her anger. I decided to wait till morning, if her mood seemed tolerant.  
  
I'm good at reading my two sisters. Yuki's easier to read because her mind is not nearly so complex as Himeko's. I'm not saying Himeko is smarter or anything like that. Quite the opposite. Himeko, despite how much she tries to deny it and despite all her abilities, is still very much a normal girl. Her mind is cluttered with thoughts and worries like when the next dance will be, if that certain someone likes her, how she'll ever get that homework assignment done and get any decent mall-crawling in, that kind of thing. Yuki's mind, though still hard to understand at times, is much more simple, just because she tackles things one at a time and doesn't procrastinate like her sister. She doesn't really care about when the dance is, she already finished that homework assignment, and it'd be nice if that certain someone liked her, but if he doesn't, that's okay, because he's entitled to his opinion. I smiled to myself. Even Yami had trouble reading them as well as me. Kaiba was a challenge though, since he knew Yuki, and thus Himeko, so well.  
  
Somehow, I sensed that Kaiba lay at the root of Himeko's troubles. I debated going into her room and talking with her about it. It might not be such a bad idea. She would probably want to vent anyway, and I didn't really care all that much if it was on me, so long as she got it out. I knew Yami wouldn't dare. He alone knew the destructive force Himeko could unleash firsthand, and was in no hurry to have in unleashed on him. I would have to bring a peace offering if I did go. I stood from my desk, where I had been enjoying the luxury of solving a nice, simple jigsaw puzzle. In the area of peace offerings for Himeko, junk food was always a prime choice. Yuki would rather something sweet and thoughtful. She liked sweet cards, which Kaiba had told me. He was in the habit of re-winning her affections with them after an argument. I had also discovered that this was how he had mended the argument about the bodyguards so long ago. He had given her a sweet card to read in class, and she had forgiven him. I thought it was funny, but took note of the method. You never knew when you might need something like that.  
  
Finally in the kitchen, I surveyed the contents of the cabinet. We had potato chips, which I decided against. Himeko didn't like how fatty they were. She sure caught up to our time fast. A few minutes later found me climbing the stairs to the bedrooms, armed with a bag of Oreo's, two glasses, a half-full carton of milk, a bag of Hershey's Kisses, and Pockey sticks from my own private stash. I paused at Himeko's door to situate myself, wonder why I felt so compelled to help her, say a quick prayer incase she blasted my head off, and then knocked on the door.  
  
" Go away!" Himeko shouted through it. I had been expecting that.  
  
" Himeko, it's me." I said, ignoring her first remark.  
  
" You could be the Queen of England and I wouldn't let you in right now." She told me matter-of-factly.  
  
" Will you let me in anyway?" I asked.  
  
" No." Himeko said simply.  
  
" Please? I brought some of your favorite foods." I offered.  
  
" Comfort food?" Himeko asked. I could hear the temptation in her voice. She, like every other girl I had ever known, and a huge passion for her comfort foods.  
  
" Yeah. Let me in, and we can talk about it." I said, wishing I had splurged and brought the jug of chocolate ice cream up. She loved ice cream, all flavors. Then, miraculously, the door opened. Himeko had changed into a pair of boxer shorts I recognized as Yami's and an oversized shirt that read "GURLZ RULE!" on the front.  
  
" I don't really want to talk about it." She told me. I could tell she had been crying. Instinctively, I reached to her with my soul and felt her out. She had been pretty badly upset, but not to the point where she couldn't hide exactly what it was. " Stop that." She told me harshly. I was used to her harsh words. It was Himeko's way of venting.  
  
" What's the matter?" I asked, coming into her room anyway and setting the food out. I started pouring the milk as Himeko grabbed a handful of Oreo's and pulled one apart, licking the cream on the inside.  
  
" Nothing, and yet, everything at the same time. And that made no sense at all." She said. I wondered to myself if it was just her time of month. " You know what? This age sucks." She told me. I smiled.  
  
" Well, it isn't all fun and games. Life's only sugar coated, you know." I said.  
  
" Yeah. And the inside's really sour." She said, accepting the milk I offered her and plunging the uneaten half of her Oreo in.  
  
" There are sweet parts too." I said, chewing thoughtfully on a Pocky stick. " You know any other age that has Oreo's?" I asked. Himeko chuckled.  
  
" No, I really don't." she agreed. I prided myself on making my sisters laugh when they were upset. It's one of those things that I like being able to do.  
  
I stayed with Himeko until she admitted that she felt better about whatever was bothering her, and then left her. I contemplated calling Yuki and seeing how her date had gone, but decided that one in the morning was not a good time to call her. I thought about calling Honda instead, but then decided that he would probably be too elated to make any sense, so I put it off till morning. Finally content to go back to my own room, I clicked out the light, muttered to myself about never being able to finish my puzzle, and snuggled into bed.  
  
For a guy who lived his entire life as an only child, having siblings suddenly wasn't too much of a shock. Sure, having to share the bathroom with Yami and waiting for my turn on the phone when Himeko had it was certainly something to get used to, but I wasn't suffering from a nervous break down. Yuki handled it remarkably well, the way she handles everything, despite the fact that she was very used to being oldest and boss. Yami kind of took over in that area, but Yuki still managed to command a kind of respect from all her siblings. Just something about her that seemed to demand respect. Danged if I know what, though. Himeko and Yami were already quite used to the idea of siblings. The only problem was, they were still not used to our time. Yami had a big problem with the microwave. He swore the thing was cursed when he overcooked his TV dinner one night and burned his hand trying to get it out. That's not saying he liked the conventional oven any better. He accidentally spilled some sauce on the hot burners and nearly scared us all to death (and when I say us all, I mean everyone in the group was there for dinner) when the smoke alarm went off. Scared himself pretty bad too. It was funny to everyone except him after the fact. And Yami sure knows how to hold a grudge against inanimate objects. Himeko adjusted far easier than Yami, simply because she has a dash more common sense than him. She figured if she used an oven mitt when the food was hot, she wouldn't get burned. Yami, however, had a mental lapse in which he imagined himself invincible. Himeko had become quite attached to many modern conveniences Yami wouldn't even touch. For instance, computers. Yami had a big problem with anything smarter than him. He calls it unnatural. I think it's that Pharaoh arrogance kicking in. Himeko just loved computers to pieces. She liked being able to store tons of information in the blink of an eye. Now, I have trouble getting her off it.  
  
I closed my eyes and sighed. I have trouble getting to sleep. It takes time, but I sleep like a rock once I get there. Even though, lately, it had been worse than usual. Sleep just would not come. I kept thinking about tomorrow, what I was going to do with my time, try to figure things like Himeko out, decide I never would, and before I knew it, it was morning, and I was cussing the sun out. That's what I got for staying up so late. I knew it was my fault, but I didn't particularly care right then. I could here Yami moving around outside my door. Damn him, I thought angrily, why does he get to be such a morning person? Yami was always up by six at least. It was now ten, and I doubted he was even dressed yet. The one thing Yami didn't mind about this age was the TV, and he spent countless morning when Himeko, me, and sometimes Yuki and others would be sleeping in front of it, eating cereal dry from the box and not making any effort to be quiet. I heard the phone ring and commenced cussing out the whoever was calling in my head. My cussing teacher moved down the stares to get it. Every nasty word I knew came from him. In no time, he was coming back up the stairs and in even less time, he was pounding on my door.  
  
" Come on, little guy! Phone!" he yelled.  
  
" Tell whoever it is to go away and call back at a decent hour!" I yelled back. I buried my head under the pillow, but that didn't quite muffle the sound.  
  
" Okay, I'll tell Anzu you were to busy snoozing to talk to her..." Yami said, trailing his voice off. I was out and running down the stairs before he was even finished. The moment the name Anzu left his mouth, I was moving.  
  
" Will you two please shut your damn mouths?!" Himeko screeched. I winced, hoping Anzu and the rest of the world hadn't heard her. I picked up the phone and opened my mouth to speak, but Grandpa came into the kitchen then. Grandpa slept on the ground level of the house, while the younger part of the household lived upstairs.  
  
" Remind me to tell her that she needs to watch her language." He told me, opening the refrigerator. I love Grandpa dearly, but I was very anxious for privacy, and I knew only one place to get it in this house. I slipped toward the basement.  
  
" Yes, Grandpa." I replied dutifully, carrying the cordless phone down to the basement. Once safely there, I put it to my ear.  
  
" Anzu?" I asked into it.  
  
" Your house is wild." She said by way of greeting. So she had heard all that. We need soundproof walls, I decided.  
  
" Yeah, you should see us on school mornings." I said, glancing around the basement. Our home was new, because the small one Grandpa and I had lived in all my life just wasn't big enough for the new additions to the family, plus the constant stream of guests. Yami, Himeko, and I had turned the basement into a recreation room. There was an old comfortable couch that sagged in the middle where Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio jumped on it, a worn, overstuffed chair that often found Yuki curled up reading a book or Honda doing his homework, a computer desk equipped with all the latest technology where Kaiba would do his work when he was here instead of his office or home and Himeko would surf the net. There was also one of those convertible game tables that us guys used to merciless levels, a table where Mai often designed, planned, and sewed a good deal of her creations, a sewing machine right next to it. The sewing machine was a birthday gift to her from us all. It was one of those real nice ones that had a computer in it. Mai loved it to pieces. There was a small card table where we played all sorts of games, and even a TV with video games. It was our room, and many weekday afternoons found us here, chatting and wasting time.  
  
" So, what's up?" Anzu asked, shaking me from all the good memories in this room. I would be sad to leave it when I had to go to college. I was also wondering where I was gonna put that used pool table Ryou was going to bring.  
  
" The same as usual." I said. I could here Yami and Himeko wrestling upstairs. Grandpa yelled at them to knock it off. " Everybody's trying to kill everybody else." I explained.  
  
" Bet you're anxious to get out of there." Anzu said with a laugh. God, I loved her laugh.  
  
" What makes you say that? Why would I want out of ground zero for the twin ticking time bombs?" I asked sarcastically. A small explosion punctuated my words. By small, I mean it sounded like the dishwasher had just blown up. Of course, what with Yami, it might very well have been the microwave.  
  
" The fact that you live with twin ticking time bombs." Anzu said with equal sarcasm. " Listen," she began, dropping her sarcastic tone. I listened quietly. " You want to come with me? I was thinking about catching a movie and maybe going to the park, and those things are no fun to do alone."  
  
" And the other girls are all busy. For example, it sounds like Himeko is waging war on something electrical upstairs." I said, pausing to listen to the crackle of electricity and Himeko yell angrily. Anzu laughed.  
  
" No, you're actually the first person I called. I haven't even called Yuki to ask how her date was." Anzu said.  
  
" Wow, what an honor." I cracked. " Well, if I know Yuki, she's probably not even functioning. She's even less of a morning person than me."  
  
" Exactly why I didn't call." Anzu agreed. " So, do you want to go? I know you haven't gotten your driver's license yet, but a little walking never hurt anyone."  
  
" It can hurt if your legs are as short as mine!" I cried indignantly. I meant it as a joke. Anzu seemed to always think that when I joked about my height, I was being self-degrading.  
  
" Yugi! You've gotten taller! Last I checked, you've grown a whole four inches! That's something!" she cried.  
  
" Five. Maybe six by now." I corrected, glancing at the door frame Yami was using to keep track of our mutual growth. Naturally, he had a head start, but I was fast catching up.  
  
" Yeah, well, will you answer the question already!" Anzu asked loudly.  
  
" Sure. Of course I'll accompany you on your outing." I said in my most chivalrous voice. Anzu laughed.  
  
" Great! I'll be there in about an hour. Talk to you then." She said, hanging up before I said goodbye. She had a bad habit of doing that. I hung up the phone, looking down at the floor, which seemed a little too far away. Five inches. Not even as big as my whole hand, and it made so much difference for me. I was growing. I tried not to think about it, but whenever the thought managed to catch me by surprise, I couldn't help but feel happy. Ecstatic, even elated. I was so happy that I wasn't stuck being so short all my life like my grandpa. Just five measly inches. And they were sure late coming. But they made me feel so good and so much better about myself. Here I was, after most guys had already completed the worst of their growth spurts, starting my very first one. Speaking of which, I was ravenously hungry. I had been eating practically nonstop lately, yet if anything, I seemed to be losing weight. Jou, Kaiba, and Honda all found it funny. Kaiba told me that it was like being stretched out until you think you're so thin you could pass for a pole and you think you're way too tall for the rest of you. Jou said the worst part was your feet. They just seem to take off all on their own, until you look like you're wearing clown shoes. My feet didn't seem too big, I thought. But I was just starting, so who knew what could happen. At this rate, Yami told me I could well into college before the worst of it was actually underway. I hoped that wasn't the case. I have a tiny jealous streak, and I can't help but be jealous of all the guys who are so much taller than me. In other words, half the human population. I hated being a midget. I really hated it. And I had always thought I was stuck that way. For the rest of my life. But now, I was growing. And I wanted to be able to show off. To be able to show all those bullies that in the end, their teasings and beatings really didn't matter. I was normal. Just a little late coming into my growth. Only about three years late.  
  
I tromped up the stairs, and sidestepped Himeko as she stormed me for the phone. I let her have it and ran up the stairs. Once in my room, I locked the door and quickly threw on my usual sloppy array of clothes. I might have tried for something a little better looking, but I just wasn't in the mood. After stepping out of the room, I was caught up in Huricane Yami-and- Himeko, who were fighting over the phone. From their shouts and cries of anger, I gathered that a sleepy and uncomprehending Yuki was on the other end of the line, and they were fighting to find out about her date. I chuckled. Honda really liked Yuki a lot, and I didn't blame him. If I wasn't fond of her in a brotherly way, I would have liked her too. She was just easy to like. What's more, she was a genuinely pretty girl. Not the sexy pretty you see on the magazines, but the real, genuine pretty. The kind of pretty that makes you think of loyalty, love, companionship, and trust. The kind of pretty that usually makes normal guys go out of their mind. Honda was single, and so was Yuki. For him, it just clicked. For her, I wasn't sure. I knew Yuki never agreed to anything she didn't intend to stick with, but I couldn't help but feel that she liked Honda, but she could never love him. I sighed. It's tough knowing the decision your little sister needs to make without being able to tell her what the right choice is.  
  
" Yugi!" Himeko wailed suddenly, interrupting me from my thoughts. She came storming down the stairs. I instantly wished she'd go right back up them, into her room, and change. She was wearing another one of her seemingly endless supply of black leather skirts, but this time the top was a dark blue button up shirt, on which only two strategically chosen buttons had been buttoned, thus exposing a lot of skin.  
  
" No." I said, adopting Yami's bluntness. Yami appeared at the top of the stairs, hoping on one foot.  
  
" Damn it, Isis, I think you just broke my toe!" he yelled. Himeko wheeled on him.  
  
" You deserve it!" she screamed. Grandpa stepped into the room to see what all the fuss was about.  
  
" Himeko, don't you think that outfit shows a little too much?" he asked.  
  
" No!" Himeko protested. I pointed back up the stairs.  
  
" Go change. Now." I said, trying to sound mean and threatening. I didn't think I succeeded at first, but then Himeko stomped her foot and wailed. Maybe it did work after all. Yami hopped down the stairs. I figured Himeko had stomped his foot. The next forty-five minutes consisted of three screaming matches between Himeko and Yami, two attempts to bargain with her on my part, and about twenty direct orders to change from Grandpa that were totally ignored. I was glad to slip away when Anzu poked her head in. I motioned to her to go and then followed her out just as screaming match number four broke out. Once we were safe outside the house, I sighed.  
  
" They sure can be noisy." Anzu said as we started walking down the sidewalk.  
  
" It's their nature." I told her. I was trying hard not to pay attention to the fact that Anzu was wearing a skirt. Not as short as Himeko's, but a skirt nonetheless.  
  
" So what movie do you want to see?" Anzu asked.  
  
" There's that new romantic comedy that you said you wanted to see." I suggested. I would have rather seen an action or adventure movie, but at the moment, Anzu was the only thing in the world that mattered.  
  
" Really? You'd see that with me?" she asked in disbelief. I looked up at her. She didn't seem as high up as she always had.  
  
" Sure. Why not?" I asked. Anzu shrugged and smiled.  
  
" No reason." She answered as we set off for the movie theatre, and I sank a little deeper into bliss.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
" No, no, no, and finally, NO!" Yami yelled in my face. I hated it when he did that. I really, really hated it. So how could I be responsible for the energy ball that was suddenly en route to his head? " Ah!" he cried comically, ducking just in time. I broke into gales of laughter while he screamed at me and Grandpa chuckled. Grandpa was great. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. When Yugi set to explaining to him about Yami and I, he seemed to have already known about it. He accepted us, and all the abnormalities we brought with us, into his home with perfect faith. I'm pretty sure that there were moments when he doubted his decision, but he stayed with us. Like I said, I couldn't have asked for better.  
  
" Isis! First you break my f- my dang toe," Yami started in, correcting his almost naughty language just in time, prompted by a glare from Grandpa, who would allow cursing to a certain extent, but that extent had already been passed. " Then you've got the nerve to throw an energy ball at me?! Then you laugh, on top of it all?! What next? Are you going to try to murder me in my sleep?!" he asked me, his voice rather high for him. If I wasn't utterly infuriated by the remark, I would have laughed. " That's high treason, you know!" he reminded me. I made a rude noise.  
  
" Please, get off your high horse, Ammon. That was a millennia ago, and the world won't care too much if I did." I said, trying to control my rage. It was very hard.  
  
" Just. Change. Now." He said in his one-word-at-a-time voice.  
  
" I. Don't. Want. To." I returned, mocking his tone. I ducked as he swung at me. Sorry, but Ammon and I hit each other. It's just the way we are. Most people won't think too highly of a guy who hits his little sister, or at least tries. You can guess that he's never swung at Yuki. Of course, Yuki's much better at getting him to calm down than me or Yugi, who seemed to have taken the escape route. I made a mental note to introduce him to a little psychological torture later. Not that he was helping me or anything. He was usually with Ammon on these little discussions. I ran for the door and slammed it behind me, then wheeled around and stuck my tongue out at Ammon. It was the only thing I could think of to do. Naturally, he came after me. I made a hasty retreat. I may act defiant of Ammon, but I do respect him. I know he loves me, and I know he only wants to protect me. He'd already had a bad experience that had to do with me and someone that could be called a maniac... But that was a long time ago and he should've known to trust me by now! Besides, I was a lot younger then, and I thought a little danger never hurt anyone. What a stupid thought. That would be how girls like me, who think they're tough stuff, get mixed up in bad things, like thieves, for example. Long story there. And this is not the time to tell it.  
  
I love Ammon. I really do. But there are moments, like I suppose there are between every brother and sister, when I could just kill him, even if he was trying to protect me. This was one of those moments.  
  
" I hate you, Ammon!" I screamed. People on the street stopped and stared at me, but I really didn't give a crap. To hell with all of them! What did they know, anyway? " I wish you would die!" I added, a little more quietly. Of course, my angry speed walking had taken me too far from home for him to hear me. That's probably why I was being so bold. But in any case, I didn't really mean it. How could I ever wish Ammon, my brother, my friend, my life- long, loyal companion, dead? But that's the funny thing about words. You can say something like that, something cruel and impulsive that you could never really mean, and they come back to haunt you. Words have a life, you know. They travel through the air and when they can no longer be heard, they die. But if you say something like that, they might return from the dead and haunt you.  
  
I stormed on down the street, my mind drifting between little worries, memories from so long ago, and bigger worries. Like why Ryou had been showing up at school with dark circles under his eyes, yawning like a madman. Like why when I asked him, he complained of chronic nightmares about the Millennium Ring. Like why Yugi tossed and turned at night with insomnia, or why Ammon spent countless nights on the couch watching late night movies, trying to get to sleep. Even Yuki had complained of sleeplessness. Maybe I was just paranoid. But night is when the human spirit is most prone to premonitions of the future. Nightmares and sleeplessness are textbook signs of trouble to come. We're talking right out of every spell book I'd ever read here.  
  
I stopped on the sidewalk, so caught up in thoughts and memories at the same time, I halfway expected to see a flash of white and someone to suddenly crash into me. It was just like that day... Mad at Ammon, storming down a street, and then... I shook my head furiously. Stupid memories, I thought angrily, that was too long ago to worry about now. Dead is dead and that's that!  
  
How long had I been walking? I glanced at my silver watch. It wasn't digital, which Ammon needed to read a clock at all. Ammon still preferred the sun. It was almost noon. I had been walking for a few hours without destination, just trying to blow off steam. Funny, I thought, it only seems like it's been a few minutes.  
  
" Help-mmmh!" a voice suddenly cried. I can't say I actually heard it. I felt it. It was a soul connection, no doubts there. I could feel Yuki's presence near me, her soul grazing with mine.  
  
Himeko! Help! she cried frantically. I started running. I knew she had to be at the Kaiba mansion. It was way too early for her to even be thinking about leaving the house. She normally wasn't even awake by ten in the morning, unless school intervened.  
  
Yuki, what's the matter? I asked quickly, but I was too late. Our connection had been severed. Either someone of considerable supernatural power had intervened, or Yuki was suddenly no longer in capacity to carry out a mental conversation. In short, she'd either been killed or knocked out. I prayed for the latter as I ran on, trying to reach Ammon, Yugi, or even Ryou... Anyone.  
  
Someone! Please help! Come on, don't you people think?! I screamed mentally, gulping in air.  
  
What's up? Yugi responded almost instantly.  
  
I'm here, and I do think, thank you. Ryou snapped. I had obviously caught him at a bad time. I really didn't care about telepathic etiquette at the moment.  
  
We've got a problem! Yuki just contacted me through a soul connection, and- I stopped thinking, instead choosing to relay the experience to the two guys mentally.  
  
Well, that would be a problem. Ryou said, considerably better tempered than before.  
  
No duh, Captain Obvious. I cracked, despite the fact that I had just tripped over a rock who seemed to exist for the sole purpose of delaying me right then.  
  
I'm moving. Yugi announced.  
  
See you at the Kaiba Mansion. Ryou said, removing himself from the conversation.  
  
Where's Ammon? I asked Yugi.  
  
I don't know. I'm with Anzu. Try to pick him up. he told me. I could hear a lot of talking through his ears as he tried to relay the situation to Anzu while following his own advice. I must be out of range. I'm not sensing him or getting a soul connection with him. Yugi said after a moment.  
  
Damn. Neither am I. He'd better not have done one of his disappearing acts. Wait, I'm in range to pick up Yuki! I cried happily. She's definitely alive! I told him. Shit. Oh shit, shit, shit. I muttered.  
  
What? What is it? Yugi asked frantically.  
  
I'm picking up Ammon, too. He must have gone over to see Yuki after we fought. I'm picking up a lot of energy waves, and they've definitely got Ammon's signature on them. I said, biting my lip physically. A little trait I picked up while I was in Yuki's head. I prayed Yugi wouldn't notice I wasn't telling him everything, even though he usually did.  
  
And? What else? What aren't you saying? he asked. He did notice, after all.  
  
And... There's someone else there. I said.  
  
Who? Kaiba? Yugi asked. He could be as dense as Yuki sometimes.  
  
Do you think Kaiba can throw an energy wave that matches Ammon's? I asked.  
  
No... But who can? he asked. I sighed, both physically and mentally.  
  
Get a connection with Ryou and tell him he might want to steer clear of the mansion. There's someone there I don't think he's gonna want to see. I said, as I saw the mansion draw closer. I was almost there.  
  
Oh. You were right. Shit. he said, dropping me to get Ryou. I frowned. Running in a skirt is no easy business. But my mind was on other things. So that was why he was always on my thoughts lately. That was why I kept remembering him, thinking about him, even dreaming about him. Hindsight's always twenty-twenty, they say. Boy, are they right. Well, I thought to myself, he always did say he would come for me one day. Guess today's that day. 


	3. I Came For You

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Three... I Came For You  
  
A/N: I just want to say I am a proud American, and in the spirit of patriotism, I LOVE AMERICA!!!! UNITED WE STAND!! Thank you.  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
I had come to the conclusion that I had the most disobedient, disrespectful, pain-in-the-ass sister that the world had ever known. I yelled after Isis as she stormed out of the house, but that made little to no difference to her. She ignored me. Irritated, I flipped her off to her back. Of course, I didn't mean it, but I needed some way to vent.  
  
" Maybe if you showed her every now and then that you trust her, she wouldn't be so defiant of you." Grandpa said. I sighed and wondered if he had seen my little gesture. I decided that if he did, he didn't care.  
  
" If she gave me a reason to trust her, I would her." I told him.  
  
" She's always there for you when it counts." He reminded me. I turned to face him. I was taller, which was odd for me. I was still getting used to life outside of Yugi's head. And from Yugi's perspective, Grandpa had always been at eye level. At least, until just recently.  
  
" Yeah, I guess." I agreed. " I do trust her. I just don't trust the rest of the world." I protested after thinking it over. It was a tired excuse, but it was true.  
  
" Learn to trust her to handle the rest of the world herself. She'll respond much more positively if you do." Grandpa advised. I grinned.  
  
" How'd you get so wise?" I asked.  
  
" Too many years of seeing too many things, my young friend." He told me.  
  
" Too many years. You'd think that after all the years I've seen, I might have gained a little wisdom from them." I thought out loud, leaning on the banister on the stairs. Grandpa seated himself in his old recliner.  
  
" You soul is old, Yami. Not your mind or body. What your soul knows takes time to teach to the mind, and of course, a body as young as yours never listens." He said with a grin.  
  
" If Isis had shown a little bit of better judgement back then, I might trust her more." I said, returning to the original topic.  
  
" Better judgement?" Grandpa asked. I sighed.  
  
" There were too many times when I had to bail her out of trouble. Too many times where if she had just walked away, she would have avoided a big mess. Too many times I had to yank her out just in time. Too many. I'm always afraid that the wrong someone will get to that heart of hers. Like last time." I said. I was really thinking out loud again. I had forgotten Grandpa was even in the room. He didn't question me.  
  
" Have you spoken to Yuki yet?" he asked instead.  
  
" No. She hung up when Isis and I were fighting over the phone." I said with a laugh.  
  
" You should have known better to try to call her before eleven in the morning. The end of the world wouldn't get a rise out of her before then." Grandpa said, joining my laughter. I stood and headed for the door.  
  
" Well, I'm not going to be the only teen in this house stuck at home. I'm going to Kaiba's. Give me a call if you need me for anything." I said. I headed out the door without waiting for a reply. I grabbed my keys as I went and hopped into my car. I like my car. I'm the only one of my siblings (not including Yoshi and Yukio) that can drive. I just got my license first. The rest could all get theirs, but I'm the only one that has. My car is a used one, and I'll be damned to eternal fire before I can tell you what kind it is. I'm figuring that out, though. I started it up, and pulled out into the road. The drive to the Kaiba Mansion is about ten minutes long, but it's a nice drive. Pretty scenic once you start getting into the nicer part of town. The only thing about this blasted age I can figure out. Roads and cars. Might be a sign of some kind.  
  
I pulled into the long drive and parked my car in the usual spot. I then pocketed my keys and jogged through the open front door, stopping just inside. Kaiba and Yuki were very conscious of Kaiba's billionaire position. They weren't likely to leave the door open. Come to think of it, I thought, I didn't see Kentaro anywhere. Kentaro was the new guard dog Kaiba bought after the whole thing in Egypt. He didn't trust the world any more than me, and Yuki wasn't so eager to give the maniacs out there another shot at her brothers. Yugi and I were not part of that equation. It was unusually quiet for a house where three little boys, Yuki and Kaiba all lived. Too quiet. No maids hustling around, not even a discarded toy on the ground. I immediately scanned the house and the surrounding area with my sixth sense. I didn't like what came back.  
  
A scanning reminds me of those heat sensing cameras they use on TV, except that instead of picking up heat, it senses what in this age is called auras or vibes. I call it soul heat. You see, in your head, dark areas that are unoccupied by any living thing. The colors are different for everyone after that, but for me, green patches are living things like plants or things that can't move. Moving things, but not sentient, are in light blue. Sentient things, like humans, that have no special abilities light up as orange, and red is a human or god with supernatural powers.  
  
The majority of the mansion was dark. There were green patches all over the place, but I was not particularly concerned with them. There was a light blue spot out in the back of the mansion that I assumed was Kentaro. He was lying too still for comfort. My mind's eye was drawn to a few orange spots in the area where the kitchen would be. I figured they, along with a few more orange spots around the place, were the hired help. They were lying awfully still as well. I really didn't like this at all. Then, I saw a two dark red spots in the living area. One was crimson, and I recognized the color immediately as Yuki, her signature color on my scans. The other was a color closer to blood. I had only seen one signature like that before, and I didn't want to think about who it was that owned that signature. In the same room, there were three small patches of light orange and one larger patch of an orange so dark it was almost red. The dark one was Kaiba, so close to being like Yuki it was uncanny, but not there. The potential was there, but not the means.  
  
" Help-mmmh!" someone cried suddenly. It was definitely Yuki, but someone had muffled her voice at the end. I broadcast the cry mentally, forcing all my strength behind it. I prayed someone was in range to hear it. Then I charged into the living area. It was in tatters. Yuki's signature is so dark on my scans because she actually holds incredible destructive force in her soul, despite her sweet and loving personality. When provoked, she is a powerful and dangerous opponent. Obviously, her opponent hadn't counted on her powers being so well developed. She develops very fast. But I could see that he had counted on her merciful nature. He had her in a vice grip, his hand clamped over her mouth. I wondered briefly why she hadn't summoned the Key of Ra, but then I figured it must have been because one of the Millennium Items was out of range.  
  
" Let her go!" I bellowed without thinking, instinctively enforcing my words with a little bit of mind controlling power. Not near enough, but I'd been spending too much time with weak little mortals. It had become habit. A pair of dark brown eyes peered at me dangerously from behind Yuki, whose red-violet eyes so like my own flashed to me with relief and hope. Yuki had always instilled in me a certainty that I could do anything. I could make any pain go away, destroy any threat, even though she was the one with all the power. I think she was putting the same faith in me that the little ones put in her. Total faith. But Yuki trusts too much too easily. It's one of her faults. Sort of like Isis before life left its mark on her.  
  
" Well, hello there. I didn't expect you to come barging in." Yuki's captor said. By terms I'm most familiar with, he was a "yami," like me, although for me, the title stuck and became a name. But this guy just adopted his catalyst's surname for his own.  
  
" Bakura, I'm warning you, let her go." I growled.  
  
" All right." Bakura agreed, letting go of Yuki. He was quick, though. Before either Yuki or my lightning reflexes could kick in, he placed his hands on the back of her head and gave her a minor energy jolt. To the head, it would cause unconsciousness, and Yuki was no exception. She collapsed in a heap at Bakura's feet. A ways to the right, I noticed Kaiba was also collapsed, and I could make out Mokuba and Yoshi behind him, also unconscious.  
  
" That's not what I meant and you know it." I snarled.  
  
" Oh, really? Sorry, Almighty Pharaoh, but I need the little girl as insurance. You won't hurt me as long as I have her." Bakura responded, leaning down and hoisting Yuki over his shoulder.  
  
" What makes you say that?" I asked, trying to sound cold-hearted.  
  
" You love her. You won't hurt her because she reminds you of Princess Isis when she was young. Young and unscathed." Bakura said, smiling that cold, heartless smile I knew too well. I began radiating waves of energy, trying to use the more fine-tuned parts of my abilities to get to him. I have the ability to control minds, and rip them to shreds. It's my talent, even though, like Isis, I can set up an assault like nobody's business. In this case, though, it wasn't working. Bakura threw in his own energy waves and uprooted all my efforts.  
  
" I don't think so." Bakura said, smiling again. At that exact moment, someone came crashing into the room. I groaned without even looking. I had been hoping for help, but I had pulling for Yugi to show up, not her! " Ah, so the star of the show has finally made her entrance!" Bakura explained as Isis stormed into the room, her eyes wild and gasping for breath. She tossed her hair out of her face and doubled over to catch her breath. I moved in front of her to protect her.  
  
" Let... Yuki... Go..." Isis said, between gasps for air.  
  
" Can't do that just yet, Princess. Rest assured, I don't want to hurt her anymore than you want me to, but I will if I think I have to. Don't push me." Bakura said matter-of-factly, shifting Yuki on his shoulder. I heard a small whimper from her direction. " She'll be awake soon, and then the real fun will begin, won't it?" Bakura asked Isis. She chose not to reply. Maybe I was wrong, I thought to myself, maybe she did learn her lesson. " Pharaoh, I'm going to have to ask you to swear on your father's name that you will go over there," Bakura said, pointing to where Kaiba and the little ones lay. " And sit quietly. You can't interfere at all. I don't even want you to speak."  
  
" No." I said, tacking some Egyptian curses on the end. Bakura shifted Yuki so that he was holding her in one arm, her head laying against his chest and her feet loosely on the ground. Then he took a pocket knife from his pocket and dramatically opened the largest blade, then pressed it to the smooth, olive skin of Yuki's neck. Isis screamed, and her scream jarred Yuki from sleep.  
  
" I highly advise you don't move, little girl." Bakura said calmly. Yuki held perfectly still, save for a tiny tremble in her lip and a small whimper that escaped her throat. My heart almost shattered on the spot.  
  
" All right!" I cried in frustration. " I swear on my father's honor that I will not interfere." I said dutifully. Then I walked out of the way, sat down next to Kaiba, bit my tongue, swallowed all the curses I wanted to say and the worst of my pride, and glared coldly at the offender. The knife drew away from Yuki's neck and she exhaled loudly.  
  
" You're not out of danger yet." Bakura told her, clamping one of his hands over both Yuki's wrists. Yuki closed her eyes and seemed to be praying for it to end. I wished that I could, for once, really make her wish come true.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
" Well then. Down to business. How have you been all these years?" Bakura asked me sociably. My eyes flitted from his face to Yuki's. I wished, for once, that Ammon could tell me what to do. But he had sworn himself to silence, and Ammon doesn't break his word.  
  
" Peachy." I responded.  
  
" Witty as always, I see." Bakura said. I could see his eyes traveling up and down my form, appraising me. " Hmm. You haven't changed at all. Still gung ho an determined to give your big brother a hard time." I chose not to respond to his remarks, swallowing all the painful memories that refused to remain buried any longer.  
  
" What do you want with us?" I asked him. " And where's your partner? You and Pegasus seemed pretty cozy six months ago."  
  
" That imbecile. I dropped him for bigger and better things. Like you." Bakura said, his eyes flashing. " Anyway, I want a little bit of revenge on you. Do you have any idea how much pain I've been in for the last millennia?" he asked me, his face twisting to crazed anguish. " How could you? You're heartless. You have no idea what a broken heart feels like." I bit back harsh words that would only worsen the situation.  
  
" If you have a bone to pick with me, leave Yuki and Ammon out of it. This is between you and me." I said.  
  
" It would be between us alone, and I'd have been happy to leave it that way, had your brother dear not interfered." Bakura shot back. I could hear Ammon draw in his breath quickly, but he didn't react other than that. " As for the little girl, I just needed her as bait, to get you to come to me. And, of course, to keep you from blowing me off the face of the planet."  
  
" Don't tempt me." I warned him. " As for broken hearts, how would you know? You're the one who ran off in the middle of the night and got yourself killed! Damn you, I thought you were dead all this time! How was I supposed to know you were alive?" I asked in annoyance. " You're dead! I saw your body, scanned it and all! You didn't leave a catalyst! How the hell can you be here?" I asked.  
  
" Saw my body?" Bakura asked, his annoyance equal to mine. " You were deceived, Isis. I saw your body. I saw you dead after I came back. I had to flee, I told you so. I needed a few months until things cleared up, but it took longer than I thought it would. It took just a little more than a year for things to cool down, and then I came back. Came back and saw you with that other man. Came back the next day to see you dead. I don't know what happened, but you sure forgot about me fast!" he cried, jerking Yuki viciously. Yuki made another tiny whimper, but clamped her mouth and eyes shut.  
  
" I told you, I saw you dead three days after you left! Dead! I saw your body! They showed me that you were dead!" I screamed back. At that moment, we were interrupted.  
  
" Himeko, are you in here?" a voice called. I wheeled around.  
  
" Yugi, get out of here!" I yelled. Naturally, he didn't listen and came right on in. " Did I not tell you to get lost?" I asked.  
  
" Yeah, but I don't care." Yugi said, training his eyes on Bakura. " What's he doing here? I thought Yuki killed him."  
  
" Don't you know you can't just kill a spirit of a Millennium Item? The spirit has to decide to die. You can send it away, lock it up, but it doesn't necessarily die." Bakura said, exasperated. Then, he looked at Ammon and I pointedly. " What have you two been teaching these kids? Parlor tricks?" he asked. I growled, a low sound from deep in my throat. Bakura gave Yuki's wrists a wrench, jerking them above her head so that she had to stand close to him, her arms stretched above her. Ammon and Yugi didn't appear to be the only ones that were growing. " Time grows short, Isis. I'm not leaving. I swore one day I'd come back for you. It's been a long time coming, but I came for you. I, unlike some people who deem themselves better, keep my promises." He said. Obviously, the insult was meant for me. Looking at the whole thing from his point of view, it wasn't a groundless accusation. I probably looked pretty bad to him right now.  
  
" What is he talking about?" Yugi asked me.  
  
" Go on, Isis. Tell them this story. Doesn't your precious Yuki deserve to know?" Bakura asked, jerking Yuki so that she stumbled. Her eyes opened and she looked to me. I felt like I was looking in a mirror. But, for the first time, her eyes showed doubt and fear. They questioned me. I felt guilty and ashamed.  
  
" It... It was a long time ago." I protested feebly.  
  
" But even you have to admit it still happened. Even your self-righteous brother has to admit that." Bakura said, shooting a dirty look at Ammon, who, true to his word, remained silent. But that by no means meant that he didn't give Bakura a champion death glare. Yugi stayed silent as well, waiting. Yuki gave me an expectant look. There's no way out of this, I realized.  
  
" It was a long time ago." I repeated, but my tone was now on story-telling mode. And as I told the story, I was living it again. Again, I was young and foolish. And again, I was about to fall in love...  
  
*+*+*Isis*+*+*  
  
It was a hot day, and the air was dry and abrasive against my face. I was still young, no older than fifteen. But, I was the Princess of Egypt, the most powerful girl in the world. And probably the most angry.  
  
" Stupid brother... Only two minutes older than me... thinks he knows everything..." I muttered to myself, storming through the market place. I was purposely avoiding places where I knew soldiers from Ammon's army hung around. Despite the fact I was dressed like nobility in a white gown that trailed behind me, getting rather dirty in the dust, and had a gold hair adornment on my head, I was determined to lose myself in the crowd. The loud, busy hustle and bustle of the market place always calmed me down. And I was hoping that today was no exception. My eyes were glued to the ground, lest someone recognize my unique and rather famous red-violet eyes. My bright gold hair already set me off, the last thing I wanted was for my most unique feature to be noticed. All I wanted was to have a little time to myself to sort my emotions out and think things through. How was I supposed to know my life was going to change?  
  
I was just minding my own business, walking along, without any purpose or destination, when I saw a flash of white. I looked up, startled, just before something very heavy crashed into me, sending both me and itself to the ground. I looked up, very startled. As the Princess of Egypt, it could be considered treason just to look at me the wrong way. To crash right into me and knock me down was unheard of, so I was quite unused to the sensation. My eyes met a pair of dark brown ones, as wide and startled as my own. I was staring a boy, my age, with silvery white hair and dark brown eyes that looked too dark for his pale skin and shocking hair. He was dressed in typical Egyptian male clothes, and was bare-chested. He looked way too pale to be Egyptian. I heard shouting, and the boy looked over his shoulder, as though he had suddenly been yanked back to reality. Then, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me to my feet.  
  
" Hey-" I started to protest, but I was cut off as he yanked me along behind him.  
  
" Follow me, and don't ask questions!" he shouted, dragging me into a back alleyway as we were chased by a foursome of soldiers.  
  
" Let me go! Do you have any idea who I am?!" I asked indignantly, trying to wrench my wrist from his grasp. He was stronger than he looked.  
  
" No, and I don't care at the moment! Besides, didn't I tell you not to ask questions?" he shouted back.  
  
" I didn't! I ordered you to let me go!" I screamed angrily.  
  
" Too bad!" He responded, jerking me as he took a sharp turn into another alley. In a matter of moments, the thrill of the chase caught up to me. I giggled excitedly at each sharp turn we made. I was always an adrenaline junkie, and always loved a good thrill. In no time, the boy was laughing too. We ran onto a bridge that went over a stream, where he screeched to a halt and pulled me to do so as well. We were trapped, there were soldiers on both sides. I hid my eyes so they wouldn't recognize me.  
  
" Are you brave?" the boy asked me.  
  
" Um, I think so." I said, suddenly uncertain.  
  
" Then come on!" he cried, pulling me up onto the rail of the bridge and shoving me off into the water. I screamed and ker-splashed right in. I heard the boy's laughter as he hit the water as well. I was a good swimmer, having grown up near the Nile, and pushed my head above water. The water was deep and swift, but the boy's hand caught mine and he hauled me up to the shore under the bridge. Once there, he clamped a hand over my mouth and held me still.  
  
" They must be using the stream for cover! You two go up stream, you come with me down stream!" one of the soldiers shouted. We listened to them run off, and then the boy burst out laughing. I laughed too, until I remembereed my situation.  
  
" Who are you? What do you want with me? Do you have any idea who I am?" I asked, rapid fire.  
  
" Nobody important, nothing, and no." the boy answered, grinning at me. " But you are the prettiest girl I've ever seen." He added. I blushed, but tried to concentrate on business, not saying anything about how he was quite handsome himself.  
  
" Well, nobody important, I'll have you know that I am the Princess of Egypt and you have just sentenced yourself to death by taking me captive. My brother will have you beheaded before you can blink when he finds me." I announced proudly.  
  
" Wait, take you captive? I did nothing like that. I saved you. I thought you were just a girl in the market and since I crashed into you, those guards would think you knew me and take you to the slave market and sell you to some rich woman as a hand maid." The boy explained. " Come to think of it, you do look like the Princess." He added.  
  
" Of course I do, I am the Princess!" I cried. " I'm also all wet and muddy now!" I cried, looking down at my dress despairingly. It clung to my body and stank like the water we had just been in. I grimaced. It really stank.  
  
" Sorry." The boy said, scratching his head and standing up. " It's definitely better than getting caught, trust me." he said.  
  
" Why were they chasing you in the first place?" I asked. I was never very good at controlling my curiosity.  
  
" I don't have the best reputation in the world. I should probably clear out of this place, but I haven't yet." He said, helping me up. " What were you doing in the market of peasants, oh mighty Princess?" he asked. I noticed the slightly mocking tone in his voice.  
  
" Trying to calm down. I had a fight with my brother." I explained as he looked around out from under the bridge, then motioned for me to follow him.  
  
" Trouble in paradise? Don't answer that." He said before I could respond. " Just keep quiet and follow me." I complied. I don't know why. I just felt like I could trust him. " There's something I want to show you." He told me as he led me through several alleys. We finally emerged in a narrow street, each side lined with houses all jammed together. Mothers called their playing children in to eat, and old men played board games as mangy dogs slept contentedly in the sun next to them.  
  
" Where are we?" I asked, awed by the sheer coziness of the scene in front of me.  
  
" My home. The home of the unclean, unimportant peasants." The white haired boy answered, grabbing my hand and leading me down the narrow streets. I stopped and watched a mother kiss her child on the forehead. My mother had never done that to me. Even my father had never kissed me. The boy pulled me on, leading me into a small house. There was a table and three beds, a small fireplace, and a crib in the far corner.  
  
" What is this place?" I asked him.  
  
" The house I'm staying in. A family used to live here. I... I didn't want to move any of their stuff, because I knew I wouldn't be staying." He answered. I looked at him.  
  
" Why isn't the family here?" I asked, wondering about the child who must have lain in the crib.  
  
" They're dead. They were Hebrew. Your brother had them killed." The boy told me. I gasped and stumbled back, out of the house.  
  
" W-why?" I stuttered.  
  
" Why does it matter?" the boy asked, glaring at me. " They had no money, they didn't believe the way you do, they were slaves. They had no worth. What does it matter that the world is rid of one more worthless family? One more worthless baby?" he asked, gesturing to the crib. I glared back at him.  
  
" They weren't worthless, they were people!" I cried. He smiled.  
  
" Maybe you rich people aren't idiots after all." He said, apparently pleased. Then he frowned. " Sorry. I shouldn't have acted like I was blaming you for their deaths. They were nice people. The children were sweet, and the baby was so cute. The mother was such a nice lady. She gave me dinner, the night before her family died. They lived a really cramped life. Three children, a baby, two parents, and the grandparents all living in this little house."  
  
" I... couldn't possibly imagine..." I muttered.  
  
" No, you can't. I can't imagine your life. You've always had it easy." The boy said, moving restlessly around the house, fingering a child's dress that lay on one of the beds. " You didn't have to fight for your survival, you didn't have to sweat and bleed for every day you got to live. Your father was good to you. Your brother loves you." He said, looking up at me. " You had it easy." He repeated. I stayed silent for a long moment. What was I supposed to say? Thank you, I'm glad you think so? Or perhaps I should protest that it wasn't my fault. Either way sounded stupid and selfish. Suddenly, I felt really bad about fighting with Ammon. I was being selfish. I owed him an apology.  
  
" I'm sorry." I said finally. The boy smiled.  
  
" Sorry for what? It's not your fault. Maybe you can convince your brother to do better. You could be the one that makes it better." He said.  
  
" I never even knew until now." I said, looking out at the setting sun. If I wasn't home before dark, Ammon would kill me. And I didn't want to make him worry about me anymore. " Are you Hebrew?" Again, he smiled.  
  
" No. I'm not. I come from a traveling tribe, far to the south. My brother banished me from the tribe." He said.  
  
" Please excuse my curiosity, but why did your brother banish you?" I asked, even though I knew it was rude. I had only just met this boy, and I was asking him about his family?  
  
" I was a danger to him. We were the sons of the tribe leader. By right of birth, he was the next leader, but I had a good claim as well. After our father died, he assumed control of the tribe. If I stayed, I might overthrow him and take that away. I didn't want control of the tribe, but men like him have no concept of wanting anything but power." The boy explained, blowing his long white hair out of his face.  
  
" I must seem pretty nosey." I said, looking everywhere but at him. He, however, looked right at me, with no discretion whatsoever.  
  
" No. Just curious. I'm different, you knew that right from the beginning. You just want to know more. There's nothing wrong with that." He said. " At least you don't want to kill me for being different. That's what I get most of the time." He added with a laugh. I wondered why he was able to talk so calmly about death.  
  
" Please, um... I need to get back to my brother, before he starts to worry." I said, realizing too late that I didn't even know this guy's name.  
  
" Sure. Follow me." He said, leading me out the door.  
  
Ten minutes later, he was opening a back door to my brother's palace for me. I turned to him and smiled.  
  
" Thank you for showing me all those things today." I said.  
  
" It was my pleasure to have a Princess in my humble lodgings." He said with a laugh.  
  
" Can I see you again?" I asked. His laughter turned to a frown that his dark brown eyes made more serious.  
  
" I don't think so, Princess. I don't think your brother would like you spending time with someone like me too much." He said.  
  
" Please. It can be our secret. I don't want to have to say goodbye forever after just meeting you." I pleaded. He considered.  
  
" Alright. But it can only be at midnight, every third day, right here. If I'm not here at midnight when you come, go back to your room. Don't arouse any suspicion." He ordered me. I nodded. " You'd better go now, before your brother sends out a search party." He told me. I laughed.  
  
" Don't worry. I know how to handle him." I said, noticing he was staring at me. " What?" I asked.  
  
" Sorry. I just realized that after all that time we spent together, that's the first time I've heard you laugh. You've got a really nice laugh. You should do it more often." He said.  
  
" I'll try to remember that." I said. He smiled and started to walk away, into the night. " Wait! What's your name?" I called after him. He stopped, turned back, and shrugged.  
  
" I don't know. Haven't had one in a long time. Give me one, if you must." he answered, then turned and ran off into the night. I watched after him, then turned and went into the palace to face Ammon and whatever else was waiting.  
  
A/N: Okay, had to cut this off here. Who is the white-haired boy? I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count. ^_^ Well, please review! ~ Rogue Fox 


	4. Against All The Odds

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Four... Against All The Odds  
  
A/N: Just letting you know, this starts off in Himeko's flashback. Just so you won't get confused.  
  
*+*+*Isis*+*+*  
  
Morning came over the Nile, too early for my tastes. I had been up late last night trying to explain to Ammon that I had just gotten lost in the market place. I hadn't been kidnapped or murdered or anything like that. I didn't tell him, of course, about the mysterious white-haired boy I had met. I didn't tell him that I had gone with a mysterious boy to the peasant homes, that I had stayed with him for hours, run from the soldiers with him... I didn't dare. I knew he would be furious with me if I did. So I kept quiet about those details, and eventually, Ammon believed enough of my story to let me go to sleep.  
  
I gazed out from the balcony in my room. The rising sun turned the Nile waters red like blood, the sky a delicate shade of pink, and the few clouds over head orange and gold. A soft, transparent curtain brushed against my cheek as the dry desert wind blew through my room. I tried to imagine what it was like to live in those faraway places I had heard about, where the rain fell in gentle showers all year long and half the year was spent in cold. I had been cold maybe three times in my entire life, and all those times I had been wet. And of course, there was always someone there to see to me and get me dry clothes. The boy I had met spoke of being from a faraway place. Perhaps he could tell me of such exotic places. I sighed. I couldn't get my mind off him. The sun had only just risen. It would be far too long before midnight, two days away. A knock on my door echoed through the room as one of the hand maids came to "assist" me. Actually, I did most of the actual dressing and primping, and the hand maids only gave me a hand in things that required an extra set, like straightening a head ornament and fastening gowns in the back. Other than that, they made themselves look busy by tidying up my quarters, which I was rarely in so they actually stayed quite clean. Pretty amazing, as Ammon told me, because I didn't exactly have a reputation as a neat person.  
  
After dressing, I went and found Ammon. Not an easy task. He could be anywhere at anytime. Sometimes he had early morning meetings, he often had to attend religious ceremonies, greet ambassadors and so on. Ammon and I weren't particularly religious, especially after the death of our father. We lost all faith in the gods. But still, as the Royals of the greatest empire on the planet, we were expected to attend ceremonies. Still, despite his busy schedule, Ammon and I stayed very close. We tried to eat the morning meal together everyday. On that particular morning, I found him in the throne room, slouched in his throne, looking very serious and grave. Of course, he always looked serious, but this time it was more so than usual. He straightened up as I walked into the room.  
  
" Oh. Good morning, Isis. I thought you were Nepano." He said, slouching back into his chair.  
  
" Good morning, brother. How was your night?" I asked politely as servants wheeled the meal into the room. Ammon shrugged.  
  
" Same as always. Restless. Too much to worry about." He said, standing and dismissing the servants. I sniffed at the food. It smelled good, and I was hungry.  
  
" That can't be healthy for you." I told him.  
  
" No healer has proved it isn't. In any case, I'm the Pharaoh, remember? I'm as close to a god as a mortal can be. I don't get sick." He told me, grinning.  
  
" I know better. I'm your sister." I said reprimandingly. " I don't believe in all those silly legends. I know perfectly well that your as normal as any man off the streets."  
  
" Speaking of the streets," Ammon started. Uh-oh, I thought, here it comes. " I want you to stay off of them for a while."  
  
" Why?" I asked, instantly defensive.  
  
" Because, there's a thief running around. I've got every soldier set to catch him. I've got to make sure he's caught soon, too. He's a tomb robber. Can't have people trying to defend their precious sacred places themselves. That's just asking for trouble." Ammon said. " You didn't happen to see a boy about our age with white hair while you were out there yesterday, did you?" he asked, taking a bite of food. He looked at me sharply. I guessed he had seen my face drain of all color as my heart leapt into my throat. " Are you all right?" he asked.  
  
" I'm fine. The first sip was bitter." I lied, setting down the soup I had been drinking. I thanked the gods for a smooth tongue. " No, I didn't see anyone with white hair. That's a pretty obvious feature. I think I would have noticed if someone our age with white hair stopped me and asked for directions to the nearest tomb." I cracked. Ammon laughed.  
  
" You can be pretty dense at times, but you've always had an eye for distinctive features." He said. I protested appropriately at the dense part, but my heart was still racing. My new friend, who seemed so wise and knowing, was a grave robber? I swallowed my food hurriedly and told Ammon I had an appointment I had to keep. He let me go willingly, after making me swear I'd stay off the streets. I obliged after making a few protests, just because he would have been suspicious if I hadn't.  
  
The next two days could not have possibly passed slower. I felt like time was standing still just to mock me. I thought maybe the gods were making it go particularly slow just to make me go crazy. It wouldn't have surprised me. Even though I wasn't religious, I did have real proof they existed. They just weren't all powerful, like everyone thought. Finally, the third night arrived. I thought the anxiety would kill me. I was positive Ammon knew something was going on. And, being Ammon, he didn't keep his suspicions under wraps for long.  
  
" I'm sorry!" I cried, knocking over my wine for the fourth time that night. The servant who had been handing the wine to me frowned, but wisely made no other show of displeasure. We were all seated at the dinner table, eating a nice meal together. If I hadn't been ready to jump out of my skin at the drop of a hat, I might have enjoyed it more.  
  
" Isis," Ammon started, giving me that penetrating stare he used to get spies to talk. It had yet to fail him. " What's wrong with you?" he asked me from across the table. I gulped as Mariah, at Ammon's right, cocked an eyebrow and looked at me expectantly.  
  
" Are you not feeling well?" Nuru asked. At his side, Eshe giggled.  
  
" I think she's feeling fine. Better than fine." She said. I blushed to the roots of my hair in thirty different shades of red. Nen looked from Eshe to me repeatedly.  
  
" Well? Are you going to share what you apparently know, Eshe?" Ammon asked. I gulped again. I did not like the way this conversation was going at all. Eshe grinned at me, flipping her hair and drawing out the suspense.  
  
" Out with it, already!" Tenok cried, which promptly sent Eshe into a fit of giggles. I laughed nervously.  
  
" N-nothing's wrong. Really. Why w-would you think anything's wrong? " I stuttered. I only stutter when I'm dealing with very strong emotions and everyone knew it. Ammon looked at me again, and I felt like his eyes were drilling into my own.  
  
" You never stutter, you always talk more than this, you have usually gotten into a fight with Nuru by now, you're shaking like a desert bloom in a sandstorm, you've done what I say without a word of protest for two days now, you've been knocking things over like it would save your life, and to top it all off, you haven't spilled your wine since you were five years old." Ammon listed. I gulped again and stared at him.  
  
" Honestly, am I that bad?" I asked him, not stuttering for the first time nearly the entire night.  
  
" No, you're worse. I was just giving you the bright parts." Ammon responded good-naturedly, sipping from his own wine. Nuru and Tenok laughed, but Nen stared at me hard. Eshe finally recovered from her giggles.  
  
" Oh, really. It's so obvious. Her symptoms are classic." She said in exasperation. If she hadn't been clear across the table and down a few seats, I might have taken my knife and slit her throat.  
  
" Classic to what case?" Nen asked, taking his eyes off me for the first time since the conversation had started. I breathed a sigh of relief. Nen was the only one who could make me talk as well as Ammon.  
  
" It's obvious. Isis is in love." Eshe said calmly. Every set of eyes turned to me. I could have melted into a puddle on the floor and not felt more pathetic. My face felt like it was on fire.  
  
" No! I-it's nothing l-like that!" I cried, my stutter coming back with a vengeance.  
  
" Oh, it's not?" Eshe asked me. I glared at her.  
  
" It's n-not!" I confirmed.  
  
" Well, your denial only proves it." Eshe announced, leaning back in her chair and looking like a satisfied kitten. I leaped to my feet.  
  
" I'm n-not in l-love!" I cried. Ammon chuckled. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, and marveled that something so trivial could upset me so badly. Mariah smiled up at me reassuringly. Mariah was always able to calm me down.  
  
" It's alright, Isis. If you just tell us who the lucky man is, you'll feel much better." She said. I nearly hit the ground.  
  
" H-how many t-times do I have t-to say it?! I'm not in l-love!" I cried. Only Nen had remained silent. I felt so guilty when I looked into his eyes. There was such hurt there, such pain. I felt like I had made the ultimate betrayal to him. " I'm not." I said, mostly to him. The hurt in his eyes didn't go away. Ammon knew I was lying. They all did. But what hurt me most was that Nen knew. He stood abruptly and walked from the room. Nuru stood to follow him, but Tenok pulled him back. I stared after Nen, trying to figure out the hurt I had seen in him, trying to figure out the terrible guilty knowledge that I had caused that hurt, and trying to figure out why I knew that.  
  
They wouldn't leave me alone. I was swarmed. As midnight drew near, I still had Mariah and Eshe dogging me to tell them who I was in love with. I kept insisting that I wasn't in love, even though I doubted my words myself. I forced myself to forget about Nen. I had been waiting for this night, and nothing was going to dull its wonder for me. I shoved Mariah and Eshe out my door, practically screaming at them to let me get some sleep. They giggled and left. I sighed, then, suddenly nervous again, flashed a glance at the moon. I felt like a fool, but I went about primping anyway, flipping my hair in the mirror and trying to get my crimson and black bangs to do something other than just lay there. Don't ask me what I was expecting. I wasn't quite myself that night. Just before the midnight, I left my chambers and slipped down the hallway. Making every effort to be silent, which was not easy considering I was, as Ammon said, shaking like a desert bloom in a sandstorm. After nearly knocking over about twenty pots, I found myself at that back door where he had left me the last time. Suddenly too nervous to do anything else, I just stood there like an idiot. What if he wasn't there? What if I had endured all that for nothing? I shook my head to clear it and reached to open the door. Now was not the time to be a coward.  
  
I pushed the door open and leaned out. I turned my head slowly in both directions, trying to get a full view of the area around me. Disappointment made it hard to breathe when I couldn't see him.  
  
" Hello? Are you there?" I called quietly, still hopeful. I sighed when no one answered. Just as I was about to leave when I saw a flash of white and a big grin. The very person I had been looking for popped up in my face. I swallowed a scream of surprise and fell backwards.  
  
" Hello." He said conversationally, leaning over me. I glared up at him.  
  
" You nearly scared me to death!" I accused. My friend grinned, and tossed his white hair out his face.  
  
" That would be a shame, to scare someone as pretty as you to death." He said, still grinning at me. I continued to glare at him, despite being thoroughly flattered by his praise. He offered me his hand, and I took and allowed him to pull me up. " How have you been?" he asked me, still holding my hand. His hands were rough and callused, but they were warm and comforting. His dark eyes searched mine.  
  
" A nervous wreck." I answered.  
  
" Not on my account, I hope?" he said, smiling again, flashing his teeth against his pale skin.  
  
" Yes, on your account." I told him. " My brother knows I didn't tell him everything." I added.  
  
" Let him know. He's no more of a god than me, so he can't be all powerful. What's more, he has no proof." He said, pulling me into the darkness of the night.  
  
" Where are you taking me?" I asked.  
  
" A nice spot by the big river." He answered. Not for the first time, I was struck by how little I knew about him. Guilt rose up in my heart, and I pictured Nen's eyes. I swallowed it, and looked at my companion's profile. His physique was not one I recognized, and his faint accent was unrecognizable as well. I wouldn't be identifying his ethnicity by his looks and voice alone.  
  
" What have you been doing all this time?" I asked conversationally.  
  
" It's only been three days." He said, giving me a questioning look.  
  
" I... um, well, it seemed like a lot longer to me." I muttered, turning my reddening face downward to the ground. He turned fully, standing in my way. I gulped nervously and looked up into those bottomless brown eyes. He didn't say anything, instead turning and starting off again. I hurried after him, fearful that I might lose him in the night, fearful that I might lose him at all.  
  
Half an hour later found us laughing together on the banks of the Nile, the moon our only light. I felt so calm and safe with him, like I could trust him. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't forget that he was a tomb robber.  
  
" I can't believe you." I said, gazing at him in disbelief. " You actually did that?"  
  
" I did. I wish you had been there. It was hilarious. The look on their faces when I started imitating the voice of that cow god of theirs! It was priceless!" he told me, breaking up into laughter again. I followed his lead. He had been telling me of his exploits in faraway places, exotic places with odd customs. " They really thought their god was speaking to them!" he cried, wiping tears from his eyes.  
  
" What'd you tell them?" I asked.  
  
" Oh, I think it was something about everyone had to go jump in some muddy river to show tribute. Yes, that was it. You should have seen it! They all came back, muddy and wet and stinking, saying that they had done my bidding. What a riot! I thought I was going to die, trying not to laugh." He said. I grinned at him and leaned on his shoulder, then noticed him staring at me.  
  
" What?" I asked.  
  
" I was just noticing that in all the places I've ever been, all the things I've ever seen, and all the things I've ever done, I've never met anyone like you. You're something new and intriguing." He said, smiling widely. I blushed and looked skyward, searching for a chance to change the subject.  
  
" Moon's pretty tonight." I noted, looking up at the pretty crescent, a tiny sliver of the moon.  
  
" A sign of good things to come?" my companion asked, wrapping his well- muscled arms around me. I felt so warm and safe.  
  
" I hope so." I agreed, sighing.  
  
" Why do you keep beating at the bush?" he asked suddenly. I looked up at him, thoroughly confused.  
  
" What?" I asked.  
  
" Why do you keep hinting at this? I like you, all right? I like you a lot. I think you like me, but you never seem to give me a straight answer." He said, looking at me seriously. I could feel my cheeks beginning to burn in a blush, and I looked away from his intense eyes.  
  
" I-I like you." I said, cursing my tendency to stutter. I raised my gaze to meet his, determined not to look away this time. He leaned a little closer to me. I breathed in his scent as he brought his face close to mine, holding me close with his strong arms. His lips found mine, grazing them gently, then harder, more firm. I felt like melting for the second that night, except this time, it was from sheer pleasure. When I pulled my head back from his, he smiled and held me tight to his chest.  
  
" I think I'm moving too fast." He muttered. I shook my head into his chest.  
  
" No." I said, for lack of anything better to say. " No." I repeated, feeling stupid. I felt better when he kissed the top of my head.  
  
" I think I'm falling in love with a Princess. It had to be a Princess." He said, shaking his head. I reached up and touched his white hair.  
  
" Could be worse. You could be in love with one of those women who worship cows." I cracked, making him chuckle. I nestled into the warmth of his arms against his chest, noting how sleepy I was and the position of the moon. I fell into the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat near my ear. " Tepemkau..." I muttered sleepily.  
  
" Huh?" he asked, looking down at me.  
  
" You told me to give you a name. I name you Tepemkau. It means, 'the best of souls.'" I said, halfway asleep. I felt his smile as he pressed another kiss to the top of my head.  
  
" Thank you." He said.  
  
Month later...  
  
" Have you told your brother yet?" Tepemkau asked me. I sighed, wrapping his arms around my waist and letting my eyes drift up to the blue sky. It was one of the first times we had dared venture out together in the day. I knew it was risky, but my passion pretty much drowned out all common sense.  
  
" No. I don't know if I can, Tepe." I said, using my special nickname for him.  
  
" Isis, he's your brother. He deserves to know." Tepe said, giving me a stern look. I gave a frustrated sigh.  
  
" I know, believe me, I know. But... He'll be so angry with me. He might have you killed." I said.  
  
" We both know I can get away from his soldiers without a problem. If it comes to that, well, we do have the back-up plan." Tepe said.  
  
" Yeah, but that's the back-up plan for a reason." I protested. Tepe grinned and kissed me suddenly.  
  
" Let's stop talking about this. It's no fun." He said. I grinned at him, kissing him back passionately. I didn't care that we were in the middle of a crowded street. All I cared about was Tepe, there with me, his arms around me, his pale cheeks under my hands. I broke the kiss and let him hug me, looking at the world over his shoulder. That's when I saw him. My eyes shot wide, and Tepe felt my body go stiff as a board.  
  
" What?" He asked, turning and following my gaze. " Who is that man?" he asked, suspicion and jealousy instantly tainting his voice.  
  
" Nen..." I muttered, stepping away from Tepe guiltily. But the accusing look in Nen's eyes told me it was far too late. I ran from Tepe to Nen, tears beginning in my eyes.  
  
" Isis..." he said, his voice trailing off. His eyes held anger, sadness, and betrayal.  
  
" Nen, please, let me explain!" I begged, as Tepe jogged up behind me. Nen's eyes flashed dangerously as he regarded Tepe. I choked back a sob. Nen, always sweet, generous, kind, and caring, my friend from farther back than I could remember, was too angry with me to even speak.  
  
" I really don't think you need to. I think I know everything I need to." He said. A few tears escaped my eyes as I reached to grab Nen's hand. He jerked it from me, like my touch would poison him.  
  
" Nen, please-" I started, but he interrupted me.  
  
" No. Isis, I... Forget it. Don't stay out too long." He said, walking away.  
  
" Please..." I pleaded, even though he was already out of earshot. Tepe hugged me, even though he couldn't know why I was so upset if even I didn't, and wiped my tears away tenderly.  
  
" So what were you saying about the back-up plan?" he asked. I frowned, and ignored his question.  
  
" Ammon will know before nightfall. You'd better get out of here. Go someplace else." I said. Tepe laughed and I shot him a glare. " I'm serious, Tepe! I'm really serious." I said, my voice softening as those eyes of his met mine. They flashed angrily.  
  
" Get out of here? And what? Just leave you to face the music? I can't do that and live with myself." He growled. Tepe was stronger than me, but he rarely got angry. He had his moody moments, and did get very violent once he was angry, but I was never the object of his anger. I grabbed both of his hands in mine.  
  
" Tepe, I may have just lost Nen. I won't lose you too." I said, planting my feet in front of him.  
  
" Come with me." Tepe requested suddenly. We had talked about it before. We called it the back-up plan. If Ammon reacted angrily toward Tepe, he would leave Egypt. And I would go with him. Before, the idea had excited me. Seeing new places, meeting new people, being able to be with Tepe, it all sounded so wonderful. Now, my stomach knotted up and I looked up into Tepe's eyes.  
  
" I don't know if I can, Tepe." I whispered, so quietly he had to wrap his arms around my waist and lean down to hear. " I have a duty here. I don't think I can just run off and leave Ammon and Mariah and Nuru and... even Nen. As much as you know I love you, I love them too. They need me." I told him. I felt his lips press against my neck.  
  
" I need you. I need you to breathe. When you're not with me, my chest hurts. It's hard to breathe. I really don't think I can live without you." Tepe whispered. I cried a little.  
  
" I need to get back to the palace. Ammon will want to scream with me." I said, forcing a small smile. Tepe seemed to take courage from that smile, despite the fact I had deliberately chosen not to respond to what he had said about needing me to breathe. Because, I realized as he took my hand and started leading me back to the palace, I needed him to breathe as well.  
  
Later, I sighed, glancing out at the falling sun. Ammon had placed me under lock and key in my room until his advisors let him away long enough to speak to me. No one was allowed to see me. Not a soul. I had been in my chambers for a few hours when Ammon came into the room. He didn't come in like a desert windstorm, roaring and yelling, like I had expected. His arrival was actually very quiet. But it might as well have been a dull roar in the thick silence of the room. Ammon and I can have an entire argument and not say a word. And yet, when he looked at me, I found myself unable to look in his eyes.  
  
" Nen told me he saw you in the market place with a boy. I wouldn't care, normally." Ammon started. I gave him a reproachful look, and he actually smiled. " All right, I wouldn't care too much. But... Isis, Nen told me he was the tomb robber I told you about a few moon cycles ago. The one I specifically told you to watch out for." He said. I sighed.  
  
" Tepemkau never told me he was as tomb robber." I protested.  
  
" But he never told you he wasn't, did he?" Ammon accused. I stayed silent. " Isis, you can try to fool me until you're blue in the face, but we both know the truth. You knew who he was. You knew. But you still betrayed me. And what's worse, you betrayed..." Ammon said, clamping his mouth shut before he said too much.  
  
" Betrayed who, besides you? Who, Ammon?" I asked, suddenly angry. I don't know why I was so angry. I just felt upset. Now Ammon looked away from my gaze.  
  
" You know, Isis. I can see it in your eyes. You're just waiting for someone to say it out loud." Ammon said.  
  
" I have no idea what you're talking about." I declared. Ammon stared at me closely, searching my face.  
  
" You really don't." he realized, sighing. " At least, that's what you've managed to convince yourself." Again he sighed. " How long have you been seeing him?" he asked. I was amazed at how calm he was being. I felt the urge to lie to him, but dismissed it.  
  
" Since just before you told me about him. A few moon cycles." I answered honestly. Ammon didn't question me.  
  
" What in the world possessed you?" he asked.  
  
" I..." I began, then gathered my courage. " I love him, Ammon. He loved me. I had to see him again. And then after that, I needed to see him more than ever. I can't live without him."  
  
" Isis, you know I can't let him live. The people... They love their stupid sacred places. They might revolt if I allow him to go unharmed. I have to do something." Ammon said. I leaped to my feet.  
  
" Can't you make your stupid example out of someone else?!" I asked, the prospect of losing Tepe nearly panicking me.  
  
" You know I can't. I'm sorry." Ammon said. " If it were up to me, I'd leave you both alone. I really would. But this is one of those things where my hands a tied. Warn him, if you want. If he can get out of Egypt, then your beloved will live. But make sure he understands that if my soldiers catch him, regardless of how much you feel for him, I will have him publicly executed." I turned away from Ammon. I hadn't cried in front of anyone since my father died. I felt his arms slip around my waist, and I turned into his chest and let him hug me. We must have looked silly, since I was the taller, but it made me feel better to know that my brother loved me. " I'm sorry. I really am." Ammon whispered.  
  
" I know." I whispered back, pulling out of his grip and smiling at him. " Let me go with him one more time. Once more, then he'll be gone. I promise." I pleaded. Ammon looked pained, torn between his sister's heartfelt plea and his duty to the title his father had burdened him with.  
  
" You have tonight, Isis. Tonight only. Tomorrow my soldier will be hunting for him. Get him out of here, Isis." He said finally. " And if you go with him, promise me you'll come back someday. I... I'd hate myself forever if I drove you away." I smiled at Ammon again.  
  
" You're my brother, Ammon. You're the only one I can truly trust." I said, hugging him one more time.  
  
That night, I lay beside Tepe, his strong arms around me. I had snuck from the palace and into the cramped streets Tepe knew as home. Without questions he had accepted me into his arms and after about an hour or two of discussing and telling him what Ammon had told me, he took me into his bed. The night wore away, and as Tepe slept peacefully, I lay wakeful, feeling every minute slip like sand through my fingers acutely. Lightly, I traced the lines of muscle on his back with my finger, half hoping he would wake up and take me into his arms again. Silently, I thanked Ammon for allowing me this last night. Tepe groaned and rolled over, smiling widely upon seeing me. I returned his grin faintly.  
  
" How long have you been awake?" he asked me quietly.  
  
" I never went to sleep. I didn't want to miss a minute." I whispered back.  
  
" How long till morning?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me. Already I missed him.  
  
" Too soon." I groaned, upset at even the thought.  
  
" Come with me. I'll take you to places you've only dreamed of." He pleaded. I didn't respond. I didn't trust my voice. For another hour I lay with Tepe, listening to him whisper all his dreams and how I fit into them. " I'll build a good life for you. Better than this." He promised. I knew that they were only words he whispered. They were empty.  
  
" Better than this?" I asked, gesturing around us. " Better than this?" I repeated, kissing him passionately.  
  
" I'll build an empire worthy of you. All for you. Just for Isis." He continued. I only smiled. After that, we dressed, Tepe gathered his few belongings in a bag, and I walked with him to the gates of the city Ammon ruled from. We stood together for a long moment, staring at the rising sun. We kissed repeatedly, but I still missed him already.  
  
" I love you." I whispered. I decided he had figured out my intentions by now.  
  
" Please, come with me." He pleaded again. I shook my head.  
  
" I can't. My place is here." I explained, smiling at him despite my tears and shaky breathing.  
  
" I understand." Tepe whispered back, kissing me again. " We made it this far against the odds. I swear I'll come back for you, someday. No matter what. Nothing can keep me away." He promised. A rooster sounded its cry a few streets away.  
  
" I'll be waiting." I promised. " You'd better go." I said, pushing him away from me. He kissed my cheek and my lips one last time, and I savored his taste. I stood there watching him long after sunrise, staring at the spot I had last seen him, crying. I missed him so much, and I had barely been apart from him.  
  
" I'll be waiting." I whispered to myself, touching my lips, then turning away. I saw Nen leaning against a wall nearby, watching me. The sadness in his eyes was clear. And I knew then. I couldn't wait for Tepe. He was never coming back.  
  
Three days later, Ammon showed me Tepe's body. He looked thin and mangled. In a strange way, I barely recognized him. I cried hysterically when I saw him, covered in his own dried blood. A slave troop had found him in the desert, the jackals already working at his freshly dead corpse. It was determined that he had died of deprivation of water. It took months for me to accept his death. I still felt like he was out there somewhere, dreaming of building his empire for me and coming back for me. Time dwindled on. I came into the power the gods granted Ammon and I. Nen and the others were killed. I went to avenge them. And then history happened. But I never forgot Tepemkau. 


	5. Just a Normal Morning

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Five... Just A Normal Morning  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I stared at Isis. She had barely changed. It had been a millennia, yet, to the eye, she hadn't changed. She was still daring in her choice of clothes, and she still had those incredible eyes. I had mistaken the little girl, Yuki, for her when I had first arrived. I had planned it all perfectly. I had been extra careful when I emerged from the Limbo I had been sentenced to, so as to not evoke any suspicions. I had surveyed the Kaiba mansion, chose the point of least resistance for my entrance. Of course, the power of the gods definitely makes that work easier. My only goal had been to get at Isis. I knew she was freed from her prison. I had seen her, when the little girl tried her hand at the power of the Key of Ra. My heart had felt like it was going wild. She was there, right there. I could have gone to her, had business not interfered. But now, she was there. Standing so close and yet so far away. I blinked rapidly, remembering her skin against mine. She finished her story, and the girl whose wrists' I had in my hands, Yuki, stared at her as well. She pulled experimentally against my grip, but I hadn't forgotten about her. Nearby, Isis's uppity brother sat silently, true to his word. At some point in time, my own little lighter side had entered. He stayed quiet for once, and just listened. He didn't ask any questions, just listened. The Pharaoh's lighter side was also remarkably silent. I wondered if I would have killed them if they had interrupted Isis. The sound of her voice made all the years of pain and nightmares seem unreal. Like I had only left her yesterday. Just yesterday I had climbed out of the bed we had slept together in. Just yesterday I wiped her tears away and made my promise. There was a thick moment of silence as everyone considered what Isis had told and I thought about how good it would feel to kiss her again.  
  
" You promised there were no more secrets." Yuki suddenly accused. Isis let her gaze fall to the floor.  
  
" I... I'm sorry, Yuki. I thought this was dead. I didn't think that you would ever need to know." She whispered.  
  
" Dead?" I echoed.  
  
" No more secrets." Yuki whispered. I tightened my grip on her wrists and she whimpered. She knew as well as I did that I could break both her wrists with one good squeeze. She seemed so frail and thin. I frowned. I didn't want to hurt anyone so close to Isis's heart, but her accusation had hurt Isis. I wondered what punishment was in line in this situation. I couldn't think of any, so I left it at the threat when I squeezed her wrists.  
  
" Dead." I repeated, practically spitting the word. " Dead. You said you'd wait for me. Then, the second you think I'm gone, you run straight for someone else."  
  
" I waited for you! I waited nearly a whole year! And as for Nen, he-" she started, then she stopped herself.  
  
" What? He what? Loved you? Loved you all along?" I mocked. Isis swallowed.  
  
" Can we leave the past where it belongs?" she asked.  
  
" For something that belongs dead, it sure hurts a lot." I said angrily.  
  
" I'm sorry! What more do you want from me?!" Isis screamed.  
  
" What you gave me all those years ago! Your love!" I screamed back, wincing as I said it.  
  
" Let Yuki go, and then I'll talk to you about love!" Isis cried. I released the little girl's wrists and shoved her toward the Pharaoh, who leaped up and hugged her. Isis started to go to them, but I stepped in the way.  
  
" I told you once that I can't breathe without you. I've been holding my breath for a millennia. I've missed you." I said, with more emotion than I had spoken in a long time. Isis looked at me helplessly.  
  
" I've changed, Tepe. Can you love me anymore? Even Nen said he hated what I've become." She said, her eyes telling me of all the pain she had endured. Suddenly, all my own pain seemed small in comparison.  
  
" I told you I always would. No matter what." I reminded her. " Would your Nen love you now?" I asked. She looked away, but didn't respond. Dumb thing to say, I told myself. Life was so much simpler before Isis. I never regretted what I said then. But, Isis had made me something better than what I was.  
  
" This still hurts too much. I can't forget Nen." She whispered, looking up at me. " I'm sorry." She added. I felt like my heart had dropped through the soles of my shoes and into the ground. I swallowed back the urge to wail. I reached out and touched her cheek, but I felt like she was just letting me touch her, not like she wanted me to.  
  
" So am I." I said sadly, then turned and walked away. I was walking away now, but I knew all to well that it wasn't over. I still loved her.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I handed Seto a glass of water to help him swallow the painkillers he was taking for his headache. Yami paced through the kitchen of the mansion, and outside the boys played as though nothing happened. It made me happy to think that to them, the world was no different. They were rather used to odd happenings. Himeko was sitting in the living room, head cradled in her hands. Part of me wanted to go make sure she was okay, but another part of me was still angry. She had promised me there were no more secrets, and then this comes out. Seto swallowed his pills and looked up at me.  
  
" You're sure you're okay?" he asked.  
  
" Why wouldn't I be?" I asked him in return. He stood and hugged me. I sighed into his chest as he patted my head affectionately. Yami stopped pacing as I pulled away from Seto.  
  
" Damn him. He just wants to hurt her with this. I don't think he ever really cared about her at all." He said, frowning angrily. I sighed.  
  
" He did. I was right next to him, Yami. His love for her was almost palpable. I could almost touch it." I said.  
  
" Then why is he doing this?" Yami asked me.  
  
" If you got the chance to tell Mariah one more time how much you love her, would you? No matter what it took?" I asked. Yami stared at me.  
  
" Sometimes, you seem so wise it scares me." He confessed.  
  
" Join the club." Seto agreed.  
  
" Bakura got his chance. It just opened old wounds Himeko thought were closed forever." I continued. Seto wrapped a protective arm around my waist.  
  
" Well, Jou and the others need to know about this soon." He said, as Yugi and Ryou came in from outside, where they had been occupying the boys.  
  
" Hey. Where's Himeko?" Yugi asked.  
  
" Pouting." Yami said. I gave him a disapproving look.  
  
" She hasn't made any effort to talk to any of us." I said. Yugi grimaced and exchanged a look with Ryou.  
  
" Do you think she'll be okay?" Ryou asked. I turned and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
" I'll go find out." I called, walking into the living room. Himeko hadn't moved. " Hi, Himeko. Are you okay?" I asked, swallowing my anger.  
  
" No." Himeko said honestly. She raised her head and looked at me. Her eyes were puffy and red with tears. " Why does this hurt so much?" she asked me.  
  
" Shouldn't I be asking you that? I am the little sister." I cracked. Himeko didn't even crack a smile. I sighed. " I'm don't know, Himeko. I can't even figure my own heart out. Yours is out of the question."  
  
" I'm sorry, Yuki. I really am." She whispered, lowering her gaze again. " I feel like dirt right now. It seems like I'm always hurting someone. I've gotten myself into a fine mess. There's no way out without hurting someone." She said. I felt bad for being mad at her.  
  
" I'm not mad." I lied. She knew I was lying, but I figured it was worth a try. " Just... No more secrets, okay? No more." I said, looking at her helplessly.  
  
" I swear, on my father's honor, there is nothing out there that you don't know about me." Himeko told me with a rueful smile. " Just when I think I'm starting to heal, he decides to show up." She muttered to herself.  
  
" He's gone now." I assured her, sitting next to her on the couch. She shook her head and smiled sadly.  
  
" No, he just left this area. He won't go away, now that he knows I'm here. Poor Ryou might want to move in with someone else." Himeko answered.  
  
" What's this about poor Ryou?" Ryou asked, coming into the living room. Himeko stood.  
  
" You might want to get your rear out of your house for a while, unless you've been making up all those stories about what Bakura used to do to you." She told him. Ryou's pale skin went about ten shades paler as he stared at us.  
  
" God..." he muttered. " I hadn't even thought about that. Yami! I need a ride to my house! Now!" he yelled, storming back into the kitchen to get Yami. " And can Yugi come? Strength in numbers?" Ryou asked abashedly.  
  
" What did Tepe do to him?" Himeko asked.  
  
" I don't think I want to know." I answered, casting a glance at Ryou, who was yanking Yugi and Yami out the door.  
  
" I'll make him stop." Himeko promised. Ryou shot her a thankful glance, but other than that, he was too busy running out the door. That left Himeko, Seto, and I in the house. Himeko left soon after, claiming to be too tired and upset to deal with anyone. I collapsed on the couch.  
  
" A normal morning in our lives." I said, sighing. Seto sat down and began massaging my shoulders. He stayed silent as the boys ran through, yelling their helloes and running up the stairs. I chuckled.  
  
" Yep. A normal day." He agreed. " Loosen up! You're muscles are as solid as rock!" he cried, pressing those hands I knew so well against my shoulders. I obediently tried to relax. " Didn't I tell you to loosen up?" Seto asked.  
  
" I did!" I protested, looking over my shoulder at him from my position laying on my stomach. Seto smiled at me and I smiled back. He continued massaging me, complaining all the while that I was stiff as a board. I groaned as he hit a spot on my neck that was sore. He rubbed it, pressing hard and yet gentle at the same time. This was the Seto I alone knew. This was his tender side he showed only to me. Soon, I switched places with him. He pulled off his casual jacket and laid down on the couch, and I began to massage him.  
  
" And you were saying I was tense!" I cried. Seto only grinned. He loosened up as soon as my hands moved over his broad shoulders, his hardened muscles melting like wax beneath my touch. We stayed like that for a long time, just happy to be near each other and enjoying each other's company. I only stood when I heard a knock on the door.  
  
" Must be Honda. No one else knocks." Seto said, sitting up. A saw a flash of regret on his face, followed by something else for a single instant... I did a double take at him. Was that jealousy I had seen in his eyes? I ignored it and went to answer the door. I opened it and was greeted by the powerful scent of flowers and a flash of colors suddenly practically under my nose. I reeled back a little.  
  
" Honda!" I cried in mock outrage.  
  
" Hello." Honda answered sociably. I grinned and took the bouquet of white and red roses from him.  
  
" Honda, they're beautiful! Thank you!" I cried. Seto slid up behind me and peeked over my shoulder.  
  
" Expensive, too." He added, flashing a look at Honda.  
  
" You've got a one in a million girl living under your roof," Honda explained, shrugging. " She's worth every single bit of it." Seto grinned and patted my head.  
  
" Ain't it the truth." He agreed. I flushed, both pleased and embarrassed by the flattery.  
  
" There's a movie playing down at the theatre I thought you might want to see." Honda suggested. I grinned at him and looked back a Seto, waiting for his approval.  
  
" Sure, go ahead." Seto said, making a shooing motion with his hands. " Get out of here and leave me all by myself." He said, feigning depression.  
  
" Oh, Seto! I'm sorry!" I wailed, instantly sorry I had even thought about it.  
  
" I was joking." Seto with a laugh. " You're way too gullible. Besides, I need to get to work. All the excitement this morning kept me from getting done. If I don't meet those deadlines, they might try to take the company again." He continued, starting up the stairs.  
  
" The I'll see you later?" I called hopefully.  
  
" You're still here?" Seto asked, still grinning. " Get out of here!" he boomed. I scurried out the door, with Honda right on my tail.  
  
" Seto Kaiba! If you find a virus in your computer tonight, it's your own fault!" I yelled, slamming the door, then grinning in amusement.  
  
" Ready to go?" Honda asked. I gave myself a complete look over. I was wearing some baggy, torn jeans from America and a dark blue shirt that had "Angel" written on it with the letters engulfed in blue flame. No make-up, but I never wore that stuff unless I absolutely had to anyway.  
  
" Yeah, unless you're taking me to a ball." I said.  
  
" Sorry, but there's no ball for such a lovely lady tonight." Honda cracked. " So what was Kaiba saying about excitement?" he asked.  
  
" Wow, you don't know, do you?" I said, surprised. Then I related the story to him, including what Himeko had told us and my anger at her for keeping secrets after she promised there were no more, as he drove us to the theatre. I like Honda, I realized, I feel comfortable and happy with him. So why do I feel like I'm not supposed to be here?  
  
*+*+*Mai*+*+*  
  
I watched Jou as he talked with Yugi on the phone. I gathered from Jou's responses there had been an incident this morning.  
  
" Is everyone okay?" I asked after he hung up the phone.  
  
" Well, Ryou's apparently in a big hurry to go into hiding, and Himeko seems to be hurt emotionally, but no physical injuries." Jou said, then went on to tell me the whole story. I popped some dry cereal in my mouth as I listened. Jou had come over to the apartment my mom and I lived early, and I hadn't changed from my nightgown yet. I was still on the couch where he had found me. We had been watching the Saturday morning cartoons together.  
  
" Now, Ryou's gonna stay with me until we can find a safer place for him, or until we're sure that Bakura's not interested in him." Jou finished.  
  
" Damn Bakura. Why couldn't he leave us alone? We were just starting to get over all that stuff that happened." I muttered. Jou sat down and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.  
  
" I know. But there's nothing we can do about it now. Just live with it, and him." He said.  
  
" Still, that was just a mean thing to do to poor Himeko!" I exclaimed.  
  
" Look at it from his point of view." Jou suggested. I crossed my arms haughtily.  
  
" I don't want to. I want to keep hating him. It's easier when he seems like a monster, not a human." I told him. " Things are simpler when you only hate, not love or sympathize."  
  
" But could you live without love?" Jou asked, giving my shoulders an affectionate squeeze. I smiled.  
  
" I don't think I want to find out." I said.  
  
*+*+*Anzu*+*+*  
  
Yami's face was pensive as he drove, silently concentrating on the road. Yugi, sensing his big brother's tenseness, was silent. Yugi had related to me in short, terse sentences what had happened while I waited impatiently outside the Kaiba mansion. Now, I sat in the backseat of Yami's car, feeling the discomfort in the air. Ryou clutched a sack of his belongings to his chest in the front seat, staring out the windshield with a blank look on his face. It had been decided that the best place for Ryou to stay was at Jou's place. Kaiba's mansion was too obvious, there wasn't any room at the Motou household, we couldn't get a hold of Honda, and for obvious reasons, he couldn't stay with either myself or Mai. Next to me, Yugi's slightly broadened shoulders heaved in a sigh. I looked down at him, studying his profile. It seemed like every day he matured a little more. Every day he was a little bit taller. And every day his smile looked a little less forced.  
  
Yami dropped Yugi and I off near the mall and set off to Jou's place to drop off Ryou, muttering about having to be the taxi service.  
  
" I'm sorry about all this." Yugi said, sighing again. I smiled.  
  
" It's okay. It's better than going nuts because nothing ever happens around here." I told him. He laughed, but his mind was elsewhere.  
  
" That movie's probably over." He noted.  
  
" So, let's go do something else." I suggested, pulling him toward the mall arcade. It was something we hadn't done a long time. I loved going with Yugi to the arcade. He was a legend there. He had beaten all the games and knew all the tips. Yugi himself was quite fond of the place, even though every game had long since lost its challenge.  
  
" Okay." Yugi agreed, allowing me to grab him by the hand and pull him into the arcade. I liked being with Yugi. I felt calm and comfortable with him. But he was changing. I was changing. We were all changing. We were growing up. We were looking at colleges, at our futures. And even as Yugi raked in the prizes and we laughed at old jokes and gossip, a voice in the back of my head was fussing about that impending day when Yugi's path would finally take him away from me.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
" You call this culture?" Yami asked, his hands over his ears as Himeko made him listen to a CD she had picked out. " It sounds like a stampede of monsters from some tormented child's nightmare to me!" Yugi and I laughed as we browsed through the music store in the mall. It was one of those family outing things that we were supposed to do every now and then. Yukio wasn't out of my arm's reach, inspecting a saxophone with rapt interest. A little farther off, Mokuba and Yoshi were trying to get a sound out of a trombone, to no avail. I smiled and let my hands slide up the smooth skin of a clarinet. I removed it from the rack and checked the reed, then gave it a tentative blow. I played a few notes carefully, picking out vaguely remembered scales. Yami and Himeko stared at me.  
  
" You know how to play that thing?" Himeko asked.  
  
" I used to play when I was younger." I explained, giving the clarinet another toot before replacing it. " It's not as good as mine." I said.  
  
" Just when I think I know everything about you, you surprise me again." Himeko grumbled. Yami cocked his head thoughtfully at a keyboard.  
  
" And I suppose this is an instrument of some sort?" he asked me. I smiled and pressed a single finger on a key. A smooth note drifted from the black keyboard, and Yami was intrigued. He experimentally copied my movement, hitting a lower note.  
  
" Every key plays a different pitch." I explained. Yami nodded, pressing two fingers down at once. He grinned when the two keys sang in unison.  
  
" Now, this I like." He muttered. I smiled and went about showing the younger boys pictures of great composers while Yami toyed with the keyboard, growing more delighted with each note. Himeko found an American pop culture section and was nearly ecstatic. Yugi was reading a brochure full of neat little facts about great musical minds, occasionally directing our attention while he read off a good one. Eventually, he ended up reading out loud to the boys, who made appropriate noises of awe. I checked back on Yami, who had begun to make up a simple tune with one hand on the keyboard. It was catchy, mostly low notes.  
  
" You really like it?" I asked.  
  
" I do." Yami agreed, smiling at me while he played his little tune again. I pressed a button on the console and the tone of the notes changed to that of an organ. Yami was thoroughly surprised, but played on, repeating his little tune. I systematically went through all the tones and soon, Yami was in love with the keyboard.  
  
A week passed with no unusual happenings. If Yami Bakura was out to get any one of us, he was taking his time doing it. Every day after dropping Yugi and Himeko off, Yami made his way back to the music store to play with the keyboard. He tried others, and a few pianos, always returning delighted. I was happy that he had found a medium through which he could express those emotions he bottled up inside himself. On Friday afternoon after school, I had Seto direct his blasted limo up to the mall, where I bought Yami a CD of Mozart's piano pieces. I gave it to him the next day on Saturday, and I found him hours later in his room after Himeko started complaining that her Discman had disappeared. There he was, lounging on his bed with Himeko's Discman on his ears, eyes closed and body relaxed. I could tell he was listening to the CD I had given him. A wide grin was spread across his face, and I didn't have the heart to tell Himeko that he had stolen her Discman. I told Seto, though, and he took me to a nearby store where we bought Yami his own.  
  
If anyone was more pleased than me with Yami's discovery of music, it was Yugi. Yugi was tickled pink with it. He even spoke with me about setting up lessons for Yami so he could learn to play. Yami rejected the idea. He said he had enough teachers at school. Besides, he complained, what would people say about a high school guy taking piano lessons? He did, however, buy several more classic piano CD's, and even a few modern ones, and a jazz that he fell in love with. It made me very happy to know my big brother wasn't spending all his time fighting with Himeko any more. And it helped keep our minds off Bakura.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
It was a Saturday night, and the air outside was crisp with the fall. It would be Halloween in America soon, but I didn't know if they celebrated that over here. I had forgotten to ask. I was safe from the cool night air in Ammon's car, my jacket wrapped tightly around me. Ammon was pleased with my choice of clothes for the night, but actually the chill in the air had been what had prodded me to wearing a pair of tight black pants. They came very low on my waist, and I had left the bottom five buttons on my white button up shirt unbuttoned, thus showing a fair amount of my flat stomach. Ammon, next to me in the driver's seat, was wearing a leather jacket over a leather shirt that was fastened over his chest in the same way as mine, except his used an assortment of buckles. His pants were leather as well, and I had teased him that he could make a big black cow out of all the leather he was wearing.  
  
" Did you do your homework?" Ammon asked me, interrupting my thoughts.  
  
" No." I answered honestly. " Neither did you, from the look of your desk." I added before he could scold me. He shrugged.  
  
" I guess you can do it after the party." He muttered. This was the first party we were going to without Yugi or Yuki, or even Seto. Jou and Mai had said they might be there, but other than that, we were on our own. Ammon pulled up to the curb and I followed his gaze up to a house with all the lights on and about twenty cars parked around or nearby. " This must be it." He said quietly.  
  
" No screw-ups, right?" I said, to myself and to him.  
  
" No screw-ups. No talking in Egyptian, no energy balls. Normal." Ammon agreed.  
  
" Boy, this is gonna be harder than I thought." I muttered. Ammon laughed and opened his door. We both climbed out of the car and stared up at the house.  
  
" Shall we, Himeko?" Ammon asked, purposely emphasizing my modern name.  
  
" Of course, Yami." I answered, mocking his tone at his name. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and we walked up the lawn to the front door, our hips bumping companionably.  
  
Hours later, close to eleven, Ammon called to me through the crowded room. The music was booming and I knew Ammon hated it, but he tolerated it. He'd had a steady throng of a minimum of five girls around him at all times. I had been flitting from place to place, happy to be socializing with people who didn't guess at the truth about me.  
  
" Himeko!" my brother's voice boomed over the music. I squeezed through teenagers dancing, talking, and a few making out. I finally located Ammon in the crowd.  
  
" What is it?!" I asked, yelling to be heard. He leaned his head close to mine.  
  
" Yugi just called. He's at the movies with Anzu, Jou, and Mai. Anzu got really sick, and they need me to come pick them up." He told me.  
  
" Can't they have Seto send a ride?" I asked, dismayed.  
  
" They already tried. Is- I mean, Himeko, I need to go pick them up. Anzu might be really sick." Ammon told me, giving me a stern look.  
  
" Okay. Go get them. Tell Anzu I'll drop by tomorrow to check on her." I said.  
  
" I thought you'd say that. Promise me you'll get a ride home. I don't want you walking alone so late." Ammon said. I waved him away from me.  
  
" I will, I will. Curfew's at midnight, I know. Get out of here." I said, shoving him toward the door. He waved at me as he went out the door. I left soon after.  
  
" Come on, Himeko. Hang around." A guy I barely knew from school named Kazuo begged me. I pulled my arm from his grip gently and moved toward the door.  
  
" Sorry, I promised my brother I'd be home by midnight." I said.  
  
" So what? Is he your keeper or something? What's he gonna do, ground you?" Kazuo asked.  
  
" No. But Grandpa will." I said. " Now are you gonna give me a ride or what?" Kazuo grinned and stuck his face close to mine. He was okay in the looks department, but a little average. I winced. I could smell alcohol on his breath.  
  
" Only if you give me a kiss." He said.  
  
" On second thought, I think I'll get a ride with Ayame." I said, backing up. Kazuo didn't like that, and reached out to grab me. Fortunately for me, he was totally drunk and overshot by a mile. I ducked him and jogged back into the crowded party, looking for Ayame, a girl I knew vaguely who I knew lived in the same general direction as I did. I found a girl named Sakura, who regularly hung out with Ayame. Sakura informed me that Ayame had left already, and that Kazuo was looking for me. I decided that walking home and braving Ammon's wrath was nothing compared to letting Kazuo find me.  
  
And that was how I found myself walking down a dark street, every sense trained to pick up trouble. I passed some greasy restaurant and glanced down a dark alley. Once I had decided nothing was going to leap out at me from it, I hurried past it. I stared hard at an old street sign, trying to figure out how far I was from home. And that was when I heard the first snicker. The first shuffle of feet. My heart leapt into my throat and suddenly the greasy restaurant didn't look so greasy. I turned around and saw a man leaning against a street light pole, watching me. He was smirking at me around the cigarette in his mouth. I gulped and hurried in the other direction. I could hear footfalls behind me. Panic settled over me. Why couldn't I have just hung around at the party, called home and told Grandpa I couldn't get a ride? Why couldn't I have waited until Ammon could come pick me up? Now I was in trouble, and this time, no one could bail me out. A hand reached from a dark doorway and grabbed at my arm. I screamed and reeled away from it, stumbling right into a big, burly man who grinned down at me with yellowed, uneven teeth. His big hands grabbed my arms.  
  
" Let me go!" I screamed, feeling dark energy pumping into my hands. I rammed my elbow into his gut and stomped his foot simultaneously. A ball of darkness began to enlarge in my hand. Then... All I can really remember is something hard hitting me on the back of the head. I remember stumbling blindly for a second, clapping my hands together to kill off the energy in my hands. The last thing I remember is someone laughing.  
  
" Gotcha, pretty-pretty." A deep, raspy male voice said, just before my vision hazed over completely and I slipped into blissful, dreamless sleep. 


	6. Daughter of Dark, Mother of Light

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Six... Daughter of Dark, Mother of Light  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
" Anzu, if you feel like your going to barf, let us know." Yugi said soothingly, rubbing poor Anzu's back. She leaned heavily on Jou, who held a wet paper towel to her fevered forehead. Beside me in the passenger seat, Mai kept turning around and looking at Anzu worriedly.  
  
" Please do. I don't want your lunch all over my car." I said, trying to lighten the mood. Anzu flashed me a weak smile, but Yugi gave me a stern look. Jou forced a chuckle, and Mai gave me a punch on the shoulder. " I am driving here." I reminder her.  
  
" Show some compassion!" she told me in response.  
  
" Some what?" I asked, grinning at her for as long as I dared to take my eyes off the road. We finally pulled up to Anzu's place. Yugi had already taken the liberty of calling Anzu's mother, and the older woman was waiting on the doorstep. Yugi climbed out the car and helped Anzu walk out.  
  
" I'm going to stay here for a little while. I'll call you in a few hours." He told me. I gave him a lazy salute and drove off to drop Mai and Jou at Mai's place, where Jou's own car was waiting. After I had done that, I turned completely around and headed for home, hoping that Isis had found a safe ride home. I pulled into the driveway, put the car into park, and let it run for a second. I could feel dread welling up in my throat. Fear from my soul was demanding my attention. I gulped. Isis was in trouble.  
  
I've known Isis since long before I have any conscious memory of her. She's always been there. I've always known her touch. I knew her feel and voice before I knew my own mother's. Her soul was as familiar as my own. We took our first steps hand in hand, both of us helping the other keep their balance. Our first word was said in unison. We both said "Father" at the same time. Our first sentence was one that I started, and Isis finished. When she was sick, I was sick. When she was sad, I made her smile. When she was scared, I protected her. Even when we were far apart, we dreamed the same dreams, we said the same things. As much as I did for her, it was nothing that she didn't return in due time. She was always standing behind me to push me up when I stumbled, to bandage my wounds, and to give me a shoulder to lean on when I couldn't stand on my own. She stood beside me when I created Yugi, and gave to him all the light left in me. I stood beside her when she gave Yuki the same. When she became the daughter of dark, I became the son of the night.  
  
I felt her fear as distinctly as I could feel my own. I couldn't feel a soul connection. But in the back of my mind, the need to protect her was as primal and undeniable as the need to breathe. I switched the car off and pocketed the keys, and sprinted into the house. Grandpa smiled at me when I walked in the door, but his smile faded when he saw the wild, crazed look in my eyes.  
  
" Has Isis called?" I asked.  
  
" No. I assumed she had gotten a ride all right." He said, standing. I lunged for the phone and dialed the number of the guy who had thrown the party.  
  
" Hello?" a voice sounded on the other end of the line. I tolerated phones. They did make me nervous, though. You can't see who you're talking to. There's something unsettling about that to me.  
  
" Is this Makoto?" I asked.  
  
" Yeah, it's me. Is that you, Yami?" Makoto asked.  
  
" Yeah. Listen, is my sister there?" I asked, glancing at the clock. It was fifteen till midnight.  
  
" No. She left fifteen minutes ago. Kazuo was giving her a hard time." Makoto answered, the jolly tone of his voice disappearing when he sensed my distress.  
  
" Who did she ride with?" I asked.  
  
" No one. She walked." Makoto said.  
  
" Damn her!" I cried. Makoto stayed silent. " If you hear from her, let me know. Immediately." I told him, hanging up before he could respond. I started to dial Kaiba's number.  
  
" Where is she?" Grandpa asked me.  
  
" Stupid girl decided to walk home." I answered tersely.  
  
" What's wrong, Yami?" Grandpa asked me softly.  
  
" Something. She's in trouble. Big trouble." I said, swallowing the urge to scream and cry. Finally, Kaiba picked up.  
  
" Kaiba residence. This is the family number, and we're in the middle of a game, so this had better be good." Kaiba said, sounding very annoyed.  
  
" I don't give a damn right now, Kaiba." I said. " Isis is missing. She's in trouble."  
  
" Crap." Kaiba said, then paused to yell to Yuki what I had told him. While he was yelling, every spiritual sense that felt Isis suddenly went blank.  
  
" Oh..." I muttered, letting my voice slip into Egyptian while I muttered a lot of curses I was glad that Grandpa couldn't understand. " Isis, where are you?" I asked, remembering to speak in Japanese.  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I watched Isis step out of the house that had held the party she had been attending. She was so graceful and beautiful, just like all those nights we had spent roaming the banks of the Nile together. She was like the world's most perfect cat, stalking through her natural element, the night. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked back at the house she had come from, suddenly seeming doubtful. I saw doubt flicker across those eyes of hers. She let her gaze drift skyward to study the moon out of habit, then started down the street. I stood from my position sitting behind a nearby bush and followed her silently.  
  
Since the day I had encountered her at the Kaiba mansion, I had been following her nonstop. I hadn't even bothered hunting down my pathetic light side. I slept outside her house, content to know that she was near. At least, I was content for the moment. I knew all too well how greedy I could get about Isis. It had started like that. I was just content to be near her. Then, little by little, I needed her more and more until any separation was unbearable. All the time I had been kept apart from her had buried all those emotions, until I had forgotten what they were like. Now, they all came rushing into my throat until I thought I would choke, and I wondered how I could ever forget anything so powerful. No wonder I had wanted to die after I had left her. I still wondered, though, how she could have seen my dead body if I knew for a fact that I was still very much alive. I decided not to think too much about that.  
  
Isis turned onto a dark, grimy street that I didn't like very much. I saw a group of men moving around in the darkness. I tried to move in close to her and warn her away, but fear drove me back. I remembered the hollow look in her eyes when I had touched her, the pain, the want, and the anguish of a woman who had already promised herself to another and couldn't forget the man she had promised herself to. I berated myself angrily as the group of eight men surrounded her. She reeled from one and straight into the arms of another. She made a brave attempt to give herself enough room to evoke her formidable attack power, but they hit her on the back of her head. Now I was angry. I jumped into the light and went in swinging. I don't know what I was thinking. I was much smaller than the smallest in their group. Unfortunately for me, that realization didn't hit until I was already in their midst and they were glaring at me. Still, despite my growing tension, I took my place standing over Isis's fallen body and glared back.  
  
Have I ever mentioned I love the powers I was granted? I really do. I could remember, as I systematically wiped all their memories clean and knocked them unconscious without laying a hand on them, the night I had returned to Egypt. Isis had taught me nearly a year before how to navigate through the palace, and I made my way to her chambers. I can still remember the silly grin that lit up my face as I thought about surprising her as she was settling into bed. When I had gotten to her chambers, I found the door open. Dismay settled upon me as I heard voices talking inside. Isis's voice, soft and pleading, and the voice of a man. At first, I thought I would just wait outside until the man left, but I couldn't control my curiosity. I peeked my head, jealousy rearing its ugly head as well. I saw Isis, still as beautiful as I remembered her, and the young man she called Nen. I saw her reach to embrace him. Saw him bend down and graze her lips with his. Anger, jealousy, and hurt raged inside me, and I ran. I ran out into the streets, ran blindly until I found myself in the abandoned home I had lived in those wonderful months when Isis had been mine. That night, I pleaded for someone to make my life worth living again. And Anubis, the Egyptian god, appeared before me. He told me I had an important part to play in a drama that had only begun to unfold. He gave me my power, my talent to erase memories. Two days later, I attended the public funeral of the Pharaoh, his sister, his adviser, and all his friends. I was among the many openly sobbing. But I sobbed for a love I wondered if I had ever had. I scanned Isis and her brother and the adviser, and even though I was still unused to my new abilities, I already knew they had left catalysts behind. Knowing that the legend of the Millennium Items was coming true, I added my own part in. That night, I hastily made a catalyst and ended my own life. When Ryou woke me up, I knew that if I gathered the Millennium Items as my own, I had a chance of building that empire I had promised Isis, and maybe winning her back.  
  
I blinked as the last man fell. I looked down at Isis. All those years ago, I had loved her more than I could possibly comprehend. Now, even after a millennia of thinking about how she had broken my heart and her promise, I still loved her as much as I ever did, if not more. With a sigh, I knelt down and scooped her up into my arms.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
I awoke with a start, sitting up in a bed. Was it a nightmare, I wondered. I looked around myself and recognized the room I was in as Ryou's bedroom.  
  
" What am I doing here?" I wondered out loud. A sudden pain in the back of my head made me reach back there and feel out a tender bump developing. " Ow." I muttered to myself. I paused and stayed still as the sound of feet coming up the stairs that led to Ryou's room. I knew about the layout of Ryou's house because I had spent a fair amount of time here with the group because Ryou's father was rarely home, so it was the perfect place to do what we wanted when Seto wouldn't let us in the mansion. I gulped. I didn't know who to expect, but what I could remember about before I had been knocked out wasn't exactly comforting. Much to my shock, it was Tepemkau who opened the door and stuck his head.  
  
" Oh, you're awake." He said.  
  
" What am I doing here?" I asked. Tepe looked around himself, as if to refresh his memory.  
  
" Um, I couldn't think of any place else to bring you. This was the only safe place I could think of." He said, shrugging.  
  
" You could have taken me home." I said sternly. Tepe actually looked a little sheepish.  
  
" I was worried that your brother would try to blast my head off." He explained.  
  
" You're a yami. You can defend yourself." I protested.  
  
" He's stronger than me, and I'll be the first to admit it." Tepe corrected me. " The two of us have proven it time and time again."  
  
" How did you know?" I asked. Amazingly, he didn't need me to clarify what I meant.  
  
" I've been following you around. I followed you to that party, followed you home, and then when those brutes knocked you out, I gave them a taste of good ol' Egyptian power." Tepe explained, still sheepish. I didn't know what to think about him following me around. Was he a stalker or what? " Where's my light side?" Tepe asked, glancing around the room as if he expected to find Ryou there.  
  
" He was worried that you'd... um, well..." I struggled to find the right thing to say. I had meant to say "beat him," but it occurred to me in mid- sentence that saying that might not be the greatest idea ever to strike anyone.  
  
" Hit him? Beat him up? Punish him?" Tepe suggested, smiling grimly. " I guess he told you about all that, huh? I haven't been the best yami in the world."  
  
" That's one way of putting it." I agreed. I rubbed the back of my head tenderly.  
  
" Let me take a look at that." Tepe volunteered. I obligingly turned and let him inspect the large bump developing there.  
  
" You need to stop that." I told him.  
  
" Stop what? Making sure you don't have a concussion?" Tepe asked incredulously.  
  
" No. Stop hurting Ryou. And call him by his name every now and then. And being nice certainly wouldn't hurt any." I told him.  
  
" Easy for you to say. You came out of your prison without any memories, right?" Tepe asked, and continued after I nodded. " You didn't remember any of your pain. It's a lot easier to make friends when you aren't trying to figure out how to mend a shattered heart."  
  
" That doesn't give you the right to take it out on Ryou. What'd he ever do to you?" I asked. Tepe sighed and leaned his head on my shoulder. A part of me relished in his nearness, but another part of me kept thinking of Nen and felt nervous.  
  
" Maybe not. I was so angry at you, but you weren't there. He was. So I took it all out on him. Maybe it wasn't right, but it did make me feel better." Tepe said.  
  
" Well, I am here now. No more hurting Ryou. The poor boy's been living in fear since you showed up." I said.  
  
" I'll never be buddy-buddy with him, if that's what you want." Tepe told me haughtily, stiffening. " You and your brother may love your light sides, but I don't. He was there, he was my catalyst. That's the only connection."  
  
" Well, Ryou has the right to live in his own home." I reminded him.  
  
" No one ever made him leave." Tepe protested.  
  
" So what? He should have just stayed here and waited for the next time you had a tantrum so he could be your punching bag?" I asked.  
  
" Well, when you say it like that..." Tepe conceded.  
  
" What happened to you? You never used to want to hurt a thing." I asked, turning my head to stare at him. Those bottomless brown eyes stared back without blinking.  
  
" I could ask you the same question, for a different reason." He said. " Anyway, I don't think it's very serious."  
  
" What?" I asked. How could beating up on Ryou for no reason not be serious, I wondered.  
  
" Your head. I don't think that bump is serious." Tepe said patiently. " There's a phone downstairs. You might want to call your brother before he has a heart attack. Knowing him, he'll think that little bump is worth a trip to the hospital. Then he'll want to murder me for laying a finger on you."  
  
" Oh, right. I'll go call him." I said, standing up. I must have stood too fast, though, because I was suddenly overcome by nausea and vertigo. I swayed dangerously, a small moan escaping my lips. Tepe's strong arms were around me almost too quickly for me to know what was happening. The next thing I knew, I was leaning heavily against his chest, biting back my nausea as he stroked my hair.  
  
" I'd forgotten how warm you are." Tepe murmured into my hair as he laid his head on top of mine. I snuggled a little closer to him, and wrapped my own arms around his middle. " How could I forget?" Tepe asked himself distantly. How could I forget, I echoed him distantly in my head, wondering how I could have ever forgotten how good it felt when he held me. Guilt suddenly rose in my chest as I saw Nen's eyes. I pulled out of Tepe's grip.  
  
" Ammon will be worried." I said, clearing my throat. Tepe watched me without any discretion.  
  
" I can see the pain in your eyes. Does my touch hurt that much?" he asked.  
  
" I just can't forget him." I whispered.  
  
" You gave all your innocence to Yuki, didn't you?" Tepe asked, sighing sadly.  
  
" I didn't think I needed it anymore. I gave her all my light." I muttered.  
  
" The story of our kind." Tepe said, shrugging. " Go call your brother." He added.  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
" Are you ever gonna get your lazy butt off the couch?" Ryou asked me, throwing a dish towel at my face.  
  
" Nope." I responded easily, throwing the towel back.  
  
" You need to." Ryou yelled as he walked into the kitchen. I let my hand fall off the couch, lifted it up, flipped him off, and resumed my position. " I saw that." Ryou called.  
  
" Good." I growled.  
  
" You should show some appreciation. Goodness knows I sure didn't have to let you come back here, and Yami sure didn't have to let you live." Ryou lectured me. " You're lucky Yuki took pity on you, and Yami and Kaiba have such a soft spot for her."  
  
" Are you done preaching to me? Don't you have the common sense to leave a depressed guy alone?" I asked him, rolling over in the couch toward the kitchen to amplify my voice.  
  
" Do I have 'therapist' written on my forehead?" Ryou asked me. " I really don't care if you are depressed. Get over it already. After all, you know what they say; it's better to have loved and lost-"  
  
" Than never to have loved at all." I finished for him. " Yuki has used that one on me so many times, I feel like I could vomit every time I hear it. And you sure are a whiny brat." I told him.  
  
" I'm enjoying your peacefulness, thank you." Ryou told me. He had never spoken to me so recklessly. I think he was really just testing my limits. How far could he push me, since Isis had made me swear not to hurt him without a good, legitimate reason. The Pharaoh had permission to beat me up if I beat Ryou up without a good reason. I figured Ryou would go back to his polite self once he decided I really wasn't going to kill him in his sleep. Although the notion was very tempting.  
  
" If I didn't swear to Isis I wouldn't beat you anymore, I would break your nose." I threatened.  
  
" I love you, Himeko!" Ryou cried joyfully. I growled.  
  
" I think I could justify that as a legitimate reason to kill you." I said, yanking myself off the couch and onto my feet. Ryou's eyes went wide and he dashed for the kitchen door. I laughed and seated myself on the couch again, reaching for the remote. I was sick of watching the infomercial on.  
  
" Ha ha ha. That was hilarious." Ryou called, with absolutely no conviction. I think I had gotten the message through to him that there was a limit. " Do you think you could at least get dressed?" he asked. I could just hear the grimace in his voice.  
  
" I'm dressed!" I protested.  
  
" You're wearing a pair of jeans. That's it." Ryou said, unimpressed.  
  
" What are you, my father?" I asked.  
  
" If that gets you off your butt, then yes." Ryou answered, leaning over the couch and flipping the dish towel in his hands at my face repeatedly. That lasted about five seconds before I shoved him away and climbed to my feet.  
  
" Fine, I'll put on a shirt!" I cried. " I think I liked it better when you refused to say a word to me!" I told him angrily.  
  
" I liked it better when you were in the Shadow Realm!" Ryou shot back. I picked up a shirt off the staircase and wadded it up, hurling in the same general direction as Ryou's head. I missed purposely, but it was close enough to make him duck.  
  
" Why did I have to give you a smart mouth? Why couldn't I make you mute?" I asked myself, casting my gaze toward the ceiling.  
  
" You're not that smart!" Ryou told me, a stupid grin on his face. I turned at the top of the stairs and glared at him. I chuckled to myself when he turned abruptly and returned to whatever it was he was doing in the kitchen. I turned again and tromped into the room I had taken over. It was originally the guest room, but then I came along. In Ryou's words, it was a pit. My newly acquired wardrobe was pretty much strewn over the floor, and the bed was a tangled mess of sheets and blanket. I sighed and picked a shirt up off the floor, shook it out, and pulled it over my head. Ryou hated it. He said I was a total slob. I, of course, told him he was a neat freak. I still had trouble figuring out how someone so different from me could be my catalyst. A catalyst is supposed to be made in the image of his creator, for crying out loud! Isis's catalyst, Yuki, shared Isis's determination and love of family. Even the Pharaoh had something in common with his catalyst. What did I have? Someone who shared my general appearance, and that was about it. In a funny way, I was jealous of them. They had such good relationships with their catalysts. One big happy family. I had trouble sitting at the same table as my catalyst. I had ruined any chance of a normal relationship with him. He would always regard me with suspicion and fear, no matter what I did.  
  
I flashed a look at the mirror. My wild white hair fell just below my shoulders and my dark brown eyes glared back at me. I saw the same eyes in Ryou. It's a weird thing, looking at your catalyst. Sometimes, I would think that this must be what it feels like for a father to look into the eyes of his son. They were my eyes. I knew them. But the look in them wasn't mine. And the face that encased them was softer than mine. I sighed. Ryou hated me. I was used to that. But suddenly, his acceptance was critical. If no one else in the world accepted me, I needed to know he did. Maybe Isis's rejection was making me sentimental.  
  
" Hey! Are you going to eat or what?!" Ryou called up.  
  
" Why not?" I wondered out loud, stomping down the stairs.  
  
Two days later, on a Wednesday afternoon, I found myself following Ryou home from school.  
  
" That has to be the single most terrible torture I have ever been forced to endure." I said loudly. Ryou looked at me over his shoulder.  
  
" What are you talking about? That was a pretty good day." He said. I stared at him, all other thoughts and complaints forgotten.  
  
" If that was a good day, I'm scared to see the bad days." I muttered. " Exactly why are we forced to go to that torture on a daily basis?" I asked, jogging to catch up. I was tired. I had been forced to get up at an ungodly hour to attend that stupid place and listen to a bunch of people, who looked more exhausted than I felt and about as old as the Millennium Ring and my soul, lecture on and on about stuff I couldn't even comprehend.  
  
" Because, according to the government, we need to be educated to succeed in life." Ryou recited.  
  
" I am educated. I know how to break into most tombs, I can tell you fifteen different ways to pick a person's pocket, and I can pick any lock you put in front of me. That's just the basics. Would you like me to go into detail?" I asked, glad that for the first time that day I didn't feel like an idiot.  
  
" No. And that has never been considered a good education and I don't think it ever will." Ryou said.  
  
" I don't see why. It certainly works for me." I said.  
  
" They want us to grow up and be doctors and lawyers and teachers-" Ryou explained.  
  
" Teacher? What person in his right mind would want to do that? I just had to watch teachers all day long and it was not a pleasurable experience. I hate to think of it from the teacher's point of view." I interrupted. Ryou grinned.  
  
" For once, I agree with you. But they say we need teachers so we can make more doctors and lawyers and more teachers. It's a cycle." He said.  
  
" Who's they, anyway? You keep saying 'they.'" I asked.  
  
" 'They' are the government. They want us to have a good education to maybe we'll work for them, too." Ryou said. " It's kind of funny. They say that it'll be better for us, but if you look at it just right, you see that it eventually benefits them too."  
  
" Your age is screwed up." I said decisively.  
  
" I agree. Wow, that's twice in a row that I've agreed with you! Wanna try for three?" Ryou asked teasingly. I looked around.  
  
" Ice cream sounds nice." I answered, pointing.  
  
" This could be the beginning of something good." Ryou decided.  
  
" What? Ice cream?" I asked, fishing in my uniform pocket for some money. I wasn't coming up with very much. " Come on, I know I have more than that." I muttered.  
  
" Never mind." Ryou said, stepping up to the ice cream vender. Before I could protest, he had paid for mine as well as his own. He shoved it into my face and walked off. I had to run to catch up to him.  
  
" So tell me what you know about Himeko." Ryou said after a moment of silence and ice cream eating.  
  
" Depends on what you want to know." I answered.  
  
" Her favorite food?" Ryou asked.  
  
" I can't pronounce it anymore. Some Egyptian delicacy." I admitted.  
  
" Okay. Her favorite color?"  
  
" That's easy. Black. And dark blue."  
  
" Um, nervous habits?"  
  
" She stutters and gets really clumsy."  
  
" Favorite time of the day?"  
  
" Midnight." I answered, then turned toward Ryou and inspected him. " Why do you want to know?" I asked him.  
  
" Well, actually, Yami asked me to ask all those questions." Ryou admitted. " But don't tell him I told you that."  
  
" Why?" I asked, stopping and giving Ryou my best glare.  
  
" Cut that out! All you have to do is say please!" Ryou protested, stepping out of my arms reach. Another reminder of the fact that he would never trust me fully.  
  
" Please." I obliged.  
  
" Fine. He's trying to test you and make sure you're not going to try to hurt Himeko or Yuki." Ryou confided.  
  
" Why would I hurt Yuki? She's never done anything but help me." I wondered out loud.  
  
" Yeah, but she's really close to Himeko and Yami. It'd be real easy to hurt her to get revenge on them. Same with Yugi." Ryou explained. I was thoroughly insulted.  
  
" But they never did a thing to me! Sure, I wouldn't mine getting their Millennium Items, but I wouldn't hurt them if they didn't do a thing to me! Why would he think I would?!" I protested. Ryou gave me a meaningful look. " Oh. That's why." I said, suddenly sheepish. " I'm starting to think that's going to haunt me forever." Ryou didn't answer. Instead he started down the street again.  
  
" Why are Yami and Yugi so close?" he asked after a moment. So it had been bothering him too. Maybe we were more alike than I had thought.  
  
" The same reasons Yuki and Isis are so close. Without the Pharaoh and Isis, Yugi and Yuki wouldn't exist. That's cause for closeness. But then, Ammon and Isis can't exist without Yugi and Yuki. The co-dependence helps a lot. And to top it all off, Yuki and Yugi created the bodies the other two live in now with their own flesh, blood, and pain. I think it makes them feel like they're really family." I explained. " You want to ask why we aren't like them, since we have all the same things, right?" I asked. Ryou nodded mutely. I don't think he trusted his voice. " That would be my fault, I think." I answered myself. I didn't want to ask him if he would always hate me. I was afraid of the answer. Ryou didn't volunteer one, either.  
  
" Why do you love Himeko so much, even after she hurt you?" Ryou asked.  
  
" I wish I knew. A part of my hates her, and another loves her more than ever." I answered honestly. I blinked suddenly. " Why am I telling you this?" I asked. Ryou shrugged.  
  
" Maybe we're both getting better." He said. " And I don't think it's all your fault. I think I'm to blame, too." He added. I didn't tell him that his confession made me feel so much better, and that it was exactly what I needed to hear right then.  
  
" Isis is a funny thing. She gave all her light, all her innocence and childhood to Yuki. Even the Pharaoh retained some of that. She's the child of darkness, the mother of pure light. Maybe that's why I still... feel that way about her." I said, suddenly afraid to say the word "love."  
  
" You know what? We've been walking for an hour, and we're farther from home than when we started." Ryou said suddenly, stopping. I looked around.  
  
" I'm not even going to ask how you can tell." I said.  
  
" Well, see that street sign over there?" Ryou started, pointing to a sign. I covered my ears and ran off.  
  
" I said I wasn't going to ask so you wouldn't explain!" I cried.  
  
" Hey, wait! You're going the wrong way!" Ryou shouted, chasing after me. 


	7. Star Gazing

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Seven... Star Gazing  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
I walked down the street as quickly as I could, balancing two bags on my shoulder. One bag was extremely heavy, the other no heavier than usual. Of course, when your legs are as short as mine and your shoulders as narrow, such things can present a serious problem. Finally I gave up and carried the heaviest bag in my arms, putting the lighter one on my shoulders. I speed walked the rest of the way to Anzu's house. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the sun was bright. The world seemed, at least for the moment, to be totally right. Even Yami Bakura hadn't been able to ruin this day. Actually, he had been rather enjoyable. He was agreeable and actually made an honest effort not to be his normal self. Yuki had been utterly overjoyed when Yami admitted there might be some hope for Bakura yet. It had been the first time I had ever heard Yuki say, "I told you so!" Bakura, like so many guys in our little group, had developed a protective nature for Yuki. Himeko thought it was funny, but as always, poor Yuki didn't get it. I think for Bakura, it had a lot to do with the fact that Yuki had been the only one willing to give him a second chance. Now, it seemed like he was determined not to let her belief be in vain.  
  
I finally found myself on Anzu's doorstep, knocking on the door. A disheveled Anzu answered the door and smiled weakly at me.  
  
" Hi, Yugi." She said as I stepped into the house.  
  
" Hi. How's your stomach feeling?" I asked. Anzu's little episode at the movies had turned out to be stomach virus. She had actually been feeling sick for a few days, but hadn't said anything to anyone. It finally got to her during the movie we had been trying to watch with Jou and Mai.  
  
" Better than it did. The doctor said I'll probably be able to go to school by Friday." Anzu said. I hefted the bag in my arms onto the kitchen table.  
  
" Great. Here's your homework. And I put my notes in there too, so you can copy them down." I said, dropping my own bag on the floor. I knew as well as Anzu did that her mother wouldn't be home for another few hours. She was also an only child, and as for her father... I never asked and no one ever told me why he was never around. Anzu never did tell me until years later.  
  
" You're such a sweetheart, Yugi." Anzu said, smiling. " I would give you a hug, but I'm probably not the most pleasurable person to hug right now." I blushed profusely at the suggestion, and I knew it.  
  
" Um, yeah." I muttered, suddenly tongue-tied.  
  
" So how did Yami Bakura do? Tell me everything!" Anzu begged.  
  
" Well, it was interesting." I said, taking the initiative and sitting down. " He was trying really hard, and you could tell. He spent the entire time watching every else to see what they did." I started. I went on to tell of Bakura's misadventures throughout the day.  
  
" Can you believe it?" Anzu asked after I had finished. " We've just started our third year of high school. Pretty soon we're going to be looking at colleges."  
  
" Yeah." I murmured. In truth, the idea of college made me nervous. Could I stand to be apart from everyone I cared about? If my dreams for my future came true, they would most likely carry me far away from the people I cared about. I didn't think I would be able to do it.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
" Oh, this skirt would be too cute on you, Yuki!" Himeko cried, holding up a denim miniskirt.  
  
" Yami and Seto would die if I wore that!" I protested.  
  
" So? Let them. They don't own you." Himeko said, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at me.  
  
" I don't wear skirts." I said stoutly.  
  
" Yeah, you wear raggedy baggy jeans that look older than me!" Himeko cried, exasperated.  
  
" That's me. Take me the way I am." I said, annoyed. I'd been having a pretty lousy week. I had been having some trouble with some girls from my class lately, and Yukio was, according to the first grade teacher, not following the rules and refusing to do his work. It had me worried. And then, to top it all off, Himeko wanted to drag me off shopping. I figured I would have an ulcer by the time I was eighteen.  
  
" A skirt can't kill you. At least try it on." Himeko prodded me. I gave her my best glare. " Fine! Be stubborn." She cried, returning the skirt to the rack.  
  
" Excuse me if I'm wrong, but didn't you give me that trait, Mother?" I asked, emphasizing "mother."  
  
" Yeah, yeah. Keep it down, will you?" Himeko said, glancing around nervously. I looked over Himeko's shoulder at a girl I vaguely recognized from school.  
  
" Oh, hi!" I called, waving to her. I knew she was one of the girls that had been giving me a hard time, but they do say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, and that love defeats the most admirable foes. Or something like that, anyway. She stared at me like I was crazy as I jogged up to her. " Um, your name's Machiko, right?"  
  
" Yeah, that's me." Machiko agreed hesitantly. " You're Yuki, right? Yuki Kaiba?" she asked. I shook my head, but I could feel a light blush painting my cheeks. Machiko had dark brown hair and mahogany eyes. I thought she looked like the kind of girl who could pull off the most difficult bluff ever. She had a perfectly unreadable face.  
  
" No, Seto and I aren't related. My last name is Motou." I said, willingly using my new adoptive name.  
  
" I didn't think you and Kaiba were related. I thought you were married." Machiko said, blinking at me.  
  
" Married?" I asked, thoroughly confused.  
  
" M-married?!" Himeko echoed, her stutter coming in.  
  
" Well, you do live with him." Machiko said patiently.  
  
" I'm not even seventeen yet. Why would I get married, and to my best friend?" I asked.  
  
" I don't know. That's just what they all say." Machiko said. She looked at Himeko and then at me, then repeated the process over and over. " You two look an awful lot alike." She noted.  
  
" Why, thank you." Himeko said, obviously flattered.  
  
" We're sisters." I explained.  
  
" Then why were you calling her 'Mother' a minute ago?" Machiko asked. I faltered. I hate lying. I knew it was necessary, but I still hate it, and I'm no good at it at all.  
  
" Um, it's a joke. I'm older and sometimes I get bossy, so she calls me that to knock me down to size." Himeko said, giving a high pitched, forced laugh. I nodded. Machiko stared at us.  
  
" There's something weird about you two. First Yugi Motou started acting funny a few years ago, and then Yuki appears out of the blue. Then, your whole group disappears for like two weeks, and then Yami and you appear. Now Ryou Bakura's got a look-alike too." She listed, staring at us hard. " There's something definitely weird about you. And I'm going to find out what it is." She stated, then walked off. Himeko and I stared after her.  
  
" I think we may have a problem." Himeko said.  
  
A few hours later, Yami was throwing the kind of fit only he can throw.  
  
" What'd you let slip?" he asked Himeko and I angrily.  
  
" Nothing!" Himeko protested, equally angry.  
  
" Really!" I agreed. " We told her the same things we tell everybody! We're sisters, part of a set of quadruplets." I said. Yugi pulled at Yami's sleeve.  
  
" Okay, Yami. I think they really didn't tell her anything." He said loudly.  
  
" This is a serious problem, right?" Seto asked, sinking into a chair in his personal office in the mansion. Himeko collapsed onto the couch. Nearby, Jou leaned against a wall. Anzu was at her house, still recovering, and Mai, Honda, Ryou, and Bakura were all on the way.  
  
" This is way past serious. No one outside this group can know about us. It just can't happen." Yami said, his voice sounding suddenly flat and defeated.  
  
" Can you imagine all the scientists? Just the ones who would want to know about ancient Egypt would be overwhelming." Yugi muttered. " And then there would be the ones who would want to learn about the Millennium Items. Oh, God. Can you imagine what they would do to Yuki?" he asked. Everyone looked at me. I was suddenly afraid.  
  
" Lock her up, run tests on her until her body breaks." Jou muttered angrily. " Like she's just some lab rat."  
  
" I don't even like testing on animals." Seto said with a sigh. Mai tromped into the room like she always did, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.  
  
" So what's the big emergency?" she asked.  
  
" Some girl from school knows something is weird about us." Yugi said. Mai frowned.  
  
" What girl?" she asked.  
  
" Machiko." Himeko offered.  
  
" Okay, I'll pull a guilt trip on her tomorrow." Mai said.  
  
" A what?" I asked, once again finding myself confused.  
  
" Never mind, Yuki." Five people said in unison. I considered pursuing the topic, but Honda came rushing in right then.  
  
" What's the situation?" he asked. Everyone stared at him.  
  
" There is no situation, as of yet." Himeko said slowly. The problem was explained to him, while I was still wondering over the guilt trip thing.  
  
" But I don't get it!" I protested.  
  
" Never mind, Yuki!" everyone told me, the tone a little more pushy.  
  
" Okay, okay." I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. Honda gave me a hug and I felt a little better.  
  
" Where's Ryou and his shadow?" Yami asked, thoroughly annoyed by both their tardiness and Honda's display of affection for me. I glanced at Seto, but he was looking in another direction.  
  
" Could you try to be nicer to Tepe?" Himeko asked him hotly. I could feel another argument developing between them. Yugi and I looked at each other.  
  
" No." Yami said simply.  
  
" I can't believe you!" Himeko cried.  
  
" That's enough, you two. Argue later." Yugi said, pushing Yami until he sat down. I grabbed Himeko and made her sit across the room. Of course, that didn't stop either of them from glaring at the other.  
  
" So what are we going to do?" Jou asked, straightening his posture and stretching his arms over his head.  
  
" Nothing." Seto said, smiling.  
  
" And just let her find you guys out?" Mai asked, aghast. Yugi smiled as well.  
  
" Oh, I get it. Nothing. No Millennium Item use, no attacking, and Himeko, that means no little punishments. Yuki will have to control herself as best she can." Yugi said, flashing me a meaningful look. I knew he was referring to my somewhat shaky control of my abilities, and I winced. I had a long history of unpredictable energy surges, and my talent, which we still hadn't decided the nature of, was not something I could control.  
  
" Okay, sorry we're late. He got us lost." Ryou said as he walked into the room, pointing to Bakura to show us who "he" was.  
  
" How I was I supposed to know that was the wrong way?" Bakura asked.  
  
" I tried to tell you, but you didn't listen." Ryou reminded him. The situation was related to them. Actually, it was related by Yami to Ryou, because my oldest brother still refused to acknowledge Bakura's presence.  
  
" And we were just discussing how there will be no attacking, no use of Millennium Items or talents. In short, we get to be normal. Totally normal." Yugi said.  
  
" Absolutely normal?" Ryou asked, his voice hesitant.  
  
" Absolutely." Yugi agreed stolidly.  
  
" That's hard!" Himeko protested.  
  
" I guess we don't get a choice." I said.  
  
" What happens if Yuki has a surge?" Mai asked.  
  
" Yuki won't have a surge." I said decisively, speaking for myself in the third person.  
  
" And your talent?" Seto pursued, watching me intently.  
  
" Um... Any suggestions?" I asked, smiling sheepishly.  
  
" What is her talent?" Bakura asked Ryou.  
  
" We don't know." Ryou answered.  
  
" How could you not know your own talent?" Bakura asked, the question directed at me.  
  
" Whatever it is, I can't control it. It just sort of happens instinctively." I said, shrugging.  
  
" I can't believe this. I'm going to be living off of pain killers." Yami muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose.  
  
" How long?" Himeko asked, her voice sounding deflated, as though all the fight had escaped her like air from a balloon.  
  
" Until this Machiko girl gets off our tail." Yami said.  
  
" Live like mortals? I don't know if I can do it." Bakura said.  
  
" Will everyone please calm down?" Yugi asked. " We need to stay calm and approach this logically. All we need to do is prove that we're entirely normal, aside from the obvious things. How hard could that possibly be? Ryou, Yuki, and I survive just fine without using our talents." Yugi was stared at by every yami present.  
  
" Wouldn't you just love to have that naivete again?" Bakura asked Himeko.  
  
That night found us in a playful mood. We were well aware that there was school the next day. But there was just an air that hung over the mansion, an air that beckoned us to play like little children again.  
  
A child's scream echoed over the huge backyard, and I turned toward it, a wide grin spread over my face. I crouched low to the ground, my limbs spread out. Silently, I began to creep toward a shadow that moved under the moonlight. I decided by the silhouette that it must be Yami. I crouched near a bush as he walked past, his steps cautious. I fired my coiled muscles and launched myself at him.  
  
" AH!" He cried in shock and probably fear. I released my grip on his shoulders and dropped to the ground, weak with laughter. " Yuki, you little- " Yami cried, adding a few choice Egyptian words. I knew Egyptian well enough to know exactly what he was calling me, thanks to the fact that Himeko and I had once shared a head. I also knew better than to be insulted. Instead, I continued laughing. I grinned widely up at Yami, whose glare broke up as he started laughing as well. Just then, Kentaro, the big Doberman Seto had bought after our return from Egypt, arrived on the scene, barking madly. He stooped and gave me a sloppy barrage of dog kisses. I forced myself to my feet with Yami's help.  
  
" What a night!" I exclaimed as Yoshi and Yukio came tearing out of the darkness and tackled me around the waste, screaming something about ghosts. Ryou and Bakura appeared out the tree nearby, both laughing.  
  
" They thought... we were ghosts." Ryou explained, trying to catch his breath.  
  
" He was making scary noises!" Yukio announced, pointing at Bakura, who grinned and made one of those spooky ghost noises. Yukio screeched and hid behind me.  
  
" That's enough." I reprimanded.  
  
" I can see why they thought you were ghosts." Yami said seriously, nodding to Ryou's hair. Bakura rolled his eyes.  
  
" To say nothing about your hair." He intoned.  
  
" That's enough!" I cried, trying not to laugh.  
  
" Well, did you just stick up for Ryou?" Yami asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Bakura blushed.  
  
" No! I have the same hair, incase you didn't notice. Oh, I forgot. You used to pay for people to notice things for you. Still haven't kicked that habit?" Bakura asked.  
  
" Can you two try not to rip each other apart? Please?" Himeko asked, tossing her hair as she entered the area.  
  
" Why would we want to rip each other apart?" Yami asked innocently.  
  
" Besides the fact that he's a stuck-up prick?" Bakura said, equally innocent.  
  
" And he's a self righteous bastard?" Yami countered, facing Bakura.  
  
" And he's a big-headed son of a bitch?" Bakura asked, his temper obviously flaring. I pushed myself between them and shoved them apart.  
  
" Honestly, Tepe. If Ammon is a son of a bitch, that makes me a daughter of a bitch." Himeko said patronizingly. " And that makes Yugi and Yuki the grandchildren of a bitch. Don't forget that you can't insult Ammon like that without insulting me and the young ones as well." Bakura backed away from Yami, who gloated until I kicked him in the shin. He cursed under his breath, but didn't say anything out loud. Yugi tackled Yami at the waist at that exact moment, and everyone laughed, the mood instantly lightening. Seto arrived, Mokuba slung over his shoulder and Mai following him. Jou and Honda arrived soon afterward, but not without raising a fuss.  
  
" Ah! Don't tickle me, Yugi!" Mai screamed, shying away from Yugi, who stared at her blankly.  
  
" I didn't touch you, Mai." He protested quietly.  
  
" Ah! Who tickled me?!" Himeko asked, practically climbing up Yami. At that moment, I felt fingers tease my sensitive sides. I made a noise somewhere between a shriek and laughter, and tried to hide behind Seto. Unfortunately for me, the tickling ghost followed me. I practically tackled Yami in an attempt to get away.  
  
" Could you two get off of me?" Yami asked shrilly.  
  
" How come he always get the good end of the deal?" Bakura wailed. Ryou shrugged.  
  
" You call this the good end?" Yami asked in disbelief.  
  
" They really don't ever stop." Yugi said, shaking his head.  
  
" EEK! Who did that?!" Mai shrieked, grabbing Yugi around the neck. I couldn't decide whether it was meant as punishment for him or comfort for her.  
  
" Whatever gets the girls for him," Bakura said, nodding at Yami, who was trying to remove himself from Himeko and my death grip. " It must be hereditary." Bakura decided, looking pointedly at Yugi. At that exact moment, I felt a set of fingers tickle my sides again. I reacted on lightning reflexes and grabbed the wrist those fingers belonged to, flung the body over my shoulder with force, and let out a cry of triumph.  
  
" I think I got our mystery tickler-" I started, grinning broadly. Then I looked down into the face of the culprit. " Honda?! Oh, I'm so sorry!" I cried, instantly sorry. Seto took the chance to burst out laughing.  
  
" That's what you get for trying to scare these girls." Yami said, after Himeko let go of him to pounce Honda.  
  
" You idiot! You nearly scared me to death!" she screamed. And then, to make matters worse, Jou stepped out of the shadows, laughing it up.  
  
" The look on your faces!" he cried, wiping tears away from his eyes. " It was priceless!" he added. I think Mai would have killed him if she wasn't laughing as hard as he was. And that was such a funny sight that everyone else started laughing too, and soon we were all sitting on the ground, wiping tears away and trying to remember how to breathe.  
  
" You grown-ups are funny." Yukio announced, and everyone laughed again. I let my head flop down over Yami's chest, my legs draped over Seto. Nearby, Mai was using Jou's thigh as a pillow and had her legs crisscrossing with Himeko's, who had discovered that Honda's belly makes a great pillow. Bakura was stretched out alone on the grass, not out of arms reach of Himeko and only a few feet away from me. Ryou and Yugi were both sort of sprawled near each other, and Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio were curled up against Seto and I. Suddenly silent, we all stared skyward at the stars.  
  
" Wouldn't it be great if you could just soar up there until you're so high you can touch those stars, and then just fall back to earth?" I wondered out loud. A few grunts and small noises of agreement answered me.  
  
" I never really liked that whole thing about stars being just big balls of burning gas. I always thought it really took the fun out of stargazing." Yugi noted. Bakura sat up and stared at him.  
  
" Stars are just balls of burning gas? Then how can we see them? How can they stay up there?" he asked, looking like the very foundation of the world had been ripped out from under him.  
  
" There's no gravity in space, so-" Yugi started, but the blank look on Bakura's face stopped him. " Never mind, Bakura. I'll explain it later."  
  
" I want to know now!" Bakura protested. Everyone laughed, and then it was silent again. " I was always taught that stars were really heroes and great people from the past who were elevated to always watch over the rest of the world, and because they were so great in life, they shined in the night sky to light the way." Bakura said after a moment. " Don't explain the stars to me. It'll ruin it." He decided. Yami's chest heaved under my head in a chuckle, but it wasn't the kind of chuckle I would have expected. It was more sympathetic than teasing, more like Yami knew what Bakura was going through.  
  
" There's Polaris. The North Star." I muttered, pointing.  
  
" The Guide Star." Yami agreed. " We knew a man who was a... Well, in this age, he'd be a captain. He taught us how to navigate with the Guide Star." I knew that when Yami said "we," he meant himself and Himeko.  
  
" I remember him!" Himeko exclaimed. " He stopped coming after Father died." Again, everyone fell silent. I could have used Himeko's memory to see the man they spoke of, but I was quickly growing drowsy.  
  
" My dad taught me how to find the North Star when I was a kid. Back before my mom and him got a divorce." Jou noted. We all caught the hidden message in his words. Before my dad went wrong. No one commented on it, though.  
  
" I learned from Yami." Yugi confided.  
  
" I learned from Bakura." Ryou added readily. Everyone waited for Bakura to speak up. There was, naturally, a long moment of silence.  
  
" Okay, fine. I learned from my father, before he died. I was born in a wandering tribe. It's survival to know how to navigate by the stars." He explained gruffly. Himeko already knew that, I suspected.  
  
" I learned from Yuki." Seto admitted.  
  
" Well, pray tell, where did you learn how to find the North Star, Yuki?" Mai asked.  
  
" I don't know. I've always known how to find it. It's the far lower corner of the Big Dipper. And the Big Dipper's easy to find." I said, shrugging. My shrug forced Yami to shift to get comfortable again.  
  
" Well, I never knew before now." Mai admitted.  
  
" City girl." I muttered. I can't help it. I have a very outdoorsy, country background. I don't always understand my friends because of it.  
  
" I never knew, either. Street signs work just fine for navigating, thank you." Honda said.  
  
" City boy." I amended. Everyone laughed. " I'd like to take you guys and turn you lose on my papa's land. Just to see what you'd do." I said, laughing at the thought of it.  
  
" Wouldn't catch me dead out there." Mai said haughtily.  
  
" I could handle it. How hard could it be? We managed at the Duelist Kingdom just fine." Jou said. I laughed, and Seto, who had had a fair taste of the life I had lived, joined me.  
  
" You'd be begging for help within the first three hours." I announced. " What with coyotes, and wild dogs, and bobcats, and hawks, and snakes-"  
  
" Snakes? No way!" Mai screamed.  
  
" Oh, big ones, Mai. Huge. Why, I saw a black water moccasin-and those are really poisonous, you know-just outside the door once. About, oh, maybe four feet long, three inches thick at the middle, maybe four. Real big, broad head. And he sat up and showed me those big long needles of his, just dripping in venom-" I said, purposely taking on a country drawl.  
  
" Stop!" Mai begged.  
  
" And once, I saw a cottonmouth, about as long as my leg! He snapped at Papa, but Papa chopped his head off with a shovel. Bad thing about snakes, though, is that they can still bite you after that. And their nasty bodies keep on slithering, like they're looking for their head." I continued. Mai whimpered and squealed.  
  
" Can we go inside?" she asked fearfully.  
  
" Yeah, let's go inside." Himeko agreed, jumping up.  
  
" That won't stop a snake. I found one, a nice big copperhead no less, nestled inside the boy's bathroom. The thing was big enough to take two fingers off in one bite, and it was real close!" I said. I was exaggerating, of course. The black water moccasin I had seen had really been a good five feet away, and the cottonmouth I had only seen after Papa had killed it. And as for the snake in the bathroom... Well, maybe I didn't exaggerate on that one.  
  
" Make her stop!" Mai wailed.  
  
" That's enough, Yuki. I don't like snakes anymore than Mai does." Yami said sternly.  
  
" They're harmless if you chop their heads off and stay back!" I protested, smiling. I had achieved the desired effect already, which was to scare Mai and everyone else silly. With the exception of Bakura, I seemed to have done very well. Nothing, I've found, scares people quite as much as good snake stories. Everyone likes to say that I'm really sweet and innocent, but that doesn't mean I don't have an evil streak. After all, there had to be some in me to harbor Himeko all that time ago.  
  
The next day at school started out perfectly normal. I managed to survive my first classes no worse for the wear. Even though I was pretty worn out from the night before, I managed to stay cheerful and upbeat. My friends seemed to have decided that's my role, to be happy and positive. Seto was positively grouchy, due to the fact that he had abandoned his work the night before and now he had more than ever. Yami and Yugi were grouchy also, due to lack of sleep. Himeko and I seem to function better on less sleep than those two. Honda and Jou were their normal selves, and Mai, as always, looked simply immaculate. Anzu even showed up at school. She looked pretty tired, but was otherwise entirely better.  
  
I was on my way to my class directly after lunch, wondering why Seto and Honda had gotten into a competition to see who could lift the heaviest objects. Seto didn't usually indulge in those silly things, but lately he had been acting pretty strange when Honda was around us. I didn't get it, so I was puzzling over it. I was still deep in my thoughts, trying to figure it out, when a hand grabbed my elbow and hauled me into the girls' bathroom. Another hand clamped over my mouth, muffling any attempt to cry out. My instinctive reaction when muted was to call out mentally, try to reach someone who would hear.  
  
Help! I called mentally. But my thoughts sounded hollow and dead, like they couldn't carry. HELP! I screamed with all my mental might, but still the hollow, empty feeling. Like no one could hear. Someone had to be muffling me mentally and spiritually, as well as physically. And that downright annoyed me. But I remembered that I wasn't supposed to use any special abilities for the time being, so I managed to keep the sudden, savage flow of energy in check. But anyone within scanning distant that could scan would have known that I was a ticking time bomb that could blow all of Japan and part of China sky high.  
  
" Don't be difficult, and we won't have a problem." A girl's voice whispered. I recognized the voice. It was Aiko, one of the group that had been giving me a hard time lately. My tense body instantly fell limp. I knew all too well that if you just take what they dish out without a word, they go away quicker. Although, I had no idea why they reveled in hurting me. I found myself bound hand and foot, sitting on the bathroom floor, gagged, and looking up at Aiko, Machiko, Tori, and Kimi. I kept my expression blank. No emotion.  
  
" Hello, Yuki. Imagine meeting you here." Machiko, the leader of the bunch, said conversationally. Imagine indeed, I retorted in my mind. I kept my mouth shut, however.  
  
" Well, isn't that impolite? Not even saying hello? And your precious friends are always saying how nice and polite you are." Aiko said, shaking her head like I was some child she was disappointed in. What I wouldn't have given for one shot at each of them! I didn't need any supernatural abilities to take those four out. One punch each, that's all I wanted. But fighting back only makes things worse.  
  
" You're right, Aiko. Isn't she right, Yuki?" Machiko asked, kicking my thigh. It wasn't hard, just a warning. I knew the warnings. They had never actually carried them out, but today they seemed particularly cocky. Well, I thought angrily, how do you expect me to say anything with this gag in my mouth? Instead of actually speaking, I nodded.  
  
" That's a good girl. Isn't Yuki a good girl?" Kimi said.  
  
" A very good girl. Too good." Tori agreed. This was going the way it always did. Machiko gave me a disgusted look.  
  
" Perfect little Yuki. Sweet, pretty, nice, innocent. What a load of bull shit!" she cried. " I'm so sick of your little games, pretty little Miss Yuki. 'Fess up, now. We know you're not all you say you are."  
  
" And on top off that, you've got every decent guy at this school ready to go to war for you." Aiko said, shaking her head. " I wish they could see what a phony you are." She added. That's right, I sneered mentally, insult me while my hands are tied and I'm gagged. Attack me when I can't fight back. God, I'd like to break your nose! Break it so that it'd never grow back right. Right in the middle of the bridge of your nose, between the eyes. Break your nose and give you two black eyes!  
  
" That whole little naïve and innocent act may work on the guys, but it doesn't work on us. We see right through you." Machiko announced. I felt my old rage building in my throat. I swallowed it down. I was overcoming that, and no airhead cheerleader with a grudge was going to destroy all I had worked for. No way. Besides, that was not the way to be thinking. Bad thoughts lead to bad actions. Now, what would Seto or Yami or Himeko do? Well, Himeko would probably have already blasted them off the face of the earth and said to herself, "Problem? What problem?" Yami would have used his mind control thing and had them all go to Madagascar and stay there. Neither one of those ideas struck me as very good or very possible. Plus, two wrongs don't make a right. So, what would Seto do? If it was him, he'd threaten them with blackmail. If he found out about this, he'd probably hire an assassin. Not a good idea either. I was beginning to think I needed to reconsider the people I looked up to. It'd probably help me if I knew why they hated me.  
  
" So, girls, what do you say we tarnish little Yuki's best charming weapon?" Machiko asked, reaching into the pocket of her uniform. I looked up at her sharply, not exactly by free will. She had grabbed my chin and jerked my face upward. " You've got such a cute, innocent little face. You know that, don't you, Yuki? After all, you use it so well. What would Kaiba and Honda say if you turned up with that innocent face slashed to ribbons?" she asked, flashing a five inch knife in front of my face, so close I couldn't ignore it. I knew my eyes were following that knife's every movement. But I didn't care. I could hear the other three laughing, but they sounded far away.  
  
" Aw, Machiko! Don't go and do it so fast! That takes all the fun out of it! Why don't we let her plead her case first? After all, innocent until proven guilty." Kimi suggested. Machiko grinned at me maliciously and jerked my gag down. More like guilty until proven innocent, I thought grimly, and that doesn't seem too likely.  
  
" So, cutey, what have you got to say for yourself?" Machiko asked.  
  
" I'm not really sure why you hate me so much, but I'm really sorry." I started. It was not a good start, because they all laughed. " I don't put on any acts. My friends are my friends because they like me, or at least I like to think so. Why would you think that? Is that why you hate me?" I wondered out loud. Machiko slapped me across the mouth like I had called her all the worst names in the book.  
  
" Shut up. I've had enough of you. I know you're not all you seem to be. I know it. Now I'm going to cut your face up until you tell me everything." She whispered, leaning so close her face was inches from mine. She brought the knife close to my face.  
  
" Please, I don't want-" I began, but at that moment, the knife came at me. I was going to say, "I don't want to hurt you." I jerked my bound legs up and pushed against her stomach as hard as I could. I had used that trick once before, when Nepano was trying to get my orb on my neck. As though she had read my thoughts, Machiko reached for the orb and gave it a rough yank. I flailed violently. So much depended on that orb. Himeko's very existence rode on that little golden ball. At that moment, I sensed the mental muffle on my ability to call to someone lift.  
  
HELP! I bellowed. But I had a sick feeling of dread as Kimi and Aiko pinned me to the ground and Machiko approached me, licking her lips, with that knife that no help would come on time.  
  
" I wonder what the blood of purity tastes like." She whispered so that only I could hear. 


	8. Machiko's Hate and Yuki's Blood

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Eight... Machiko's Hate and Yuki's Blood  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
It's really tough, being the oldest of six siblings. It's even tougher when your little sisters have a stubborn streak and the oldest little brother is a younger, nicer version of yourself, and you're still learning how to deal with the two youngest. And if you've got my protective streak.  
  
I know, and have since Isis and I were children, that I'm way too protective. But in Yuki's case, it's different. She emits a soft, gentle feeling that makes you want to protect her and preserve that innocence until you drop. It's hard not to lock her up in a room and keep her from the whole world. And I knew I wasn't the only one. I knew Kaiba would have willingly laid down his life to protect her before I even consciously knew of her existence. And now even Bakura was acting territorial about her, and I had always been so sure that guy completely lacked a heart. Anyone who had anything to do with Yuki had to have a heart. Maybe he wasn't so bad. But I would still kill him if I caught him so much as standing too close to Isis. My idea of too close was about two miles, but that seemed a little extreme in the tight confines of the school.  
  
I was sitting in my geometry class directly after school. I hated geometry. It's really not the subject I hated. Geometry itself is very interesting. But the teacher I had is an idiot. If that man had lived in my time, he probably would have been written off as unfit for anything but the most mundane jobs. I'm sorry, but his lectures were not nearly as interesting as he thought they were. And his dumb jokes! I figured that I would always remember him as my most despised teachers, given that I didn't get any worse later.  
  
" And therefore, you'll find that by adding the remote angles of the triangle, you will always get the measure of the exterior angle..." the teacher was droning on. I couldn't decide what was more boring, the fact that we had covered this yesterday and he refused to believe us when we told him (I think he was losing his memory), or the fact that his voice never changed pitch. The word pitch, of course, drew my thoughts toward the notes of a keyboard. I mentally rehearsed what I had learned from the books I had smuggled from the school library into my room. Things like scales in major and minor, flats and sharps... Soon, I had forgotten all about remote and exterior angles. My eyes lolled lazily over the class. A few seats away from me, I saw Jou with his head down on the desk. Judging by the rhythmic rise and fall from his breath, I decided he was fast asleep. Next to him, Mai was filing down her nails, the teacher completely forgotten. Ryou was in the front of the class. Usually, Ryou paid perfect attention. Today, he was working on history homework. The stupid teacher was too absorbed in hearing his own voice that he didn't notice. I wasn't the only one who was letting their mind wander to lands unknown.  
  
That's when I got the first feeling of fear. It wasn't my own, I knew that. I glanced at Ryou, whose back had suddenly stiffened. So I wasn't being paranoid, Ryou had felt it too. Mai and Jou remained the way they had been, because they weren't as sensitive on the paranormal plane as we were. Whatever the feeling was, it was gone too quick to trace it. Ryou glanced over his shoulder at me, closer to the back of the room. I shook my head. Probably just a fluke, I mouthed for him to see. He nodded and turned back to scribbling down something on a paper for history. Oh, didn't we have a paper to write in there, I wondered, but it isn't due for a month. I stared at Ryou. He was that kind of student. Always ahead of everyone else. Yugi was the same way, but not to that degree.  
  
I tried to pursue my previous train of thought again, playing a particular part of Mozart's Third in my head, but I couldn't seem to get it. There was something distracting me, something pulling at the back of my mind, telling me I was overlooking one very important fact. I tried to ignore it, but it just got more insistent. Again, Ryou turned to me from his own seat. His expression was questioning, as if to ask, "What does this mean?" I honestly didn't know.  
  
HELP! Someone bellowed. I jumped to my feet. Ryou cried out and toppled to the floor. We both sat there for a few dead silent minutes, the entire class, dumb teacher and all, staring at us. Neither one of us could have cared less. I nodded to Ryou and we both ran from the classroom. The last thing on my mind at that point was looking normal in front of others. I really didn't care about anything but getting to the person who had called for help.  
  
" That voice! It felt like someone was screaming right in my ear!" Ryou cried once we were out of the classroom. His voice was shaky. I didn't blame him. I never would have told anyone, but my legs were weaker than a newborn's. I could barely stand.  
  
" It was loud." I conceded. Loud. What a joke. If it had been loud, my head wouldn't have been pounding so hard. I felt like my skull was about to split, right down the middle. I was about to scan the area, when who should come barreling out of the classroom across the hall but...  
  
" Bakura, you imbecile!" I cried indignantly from my new seat on the floor. Bakura stared at me.  
  
" You didn't hear that?" he asked me, dumbfounded.  
  
" You are even stupider than you look! Of course I heard it! Anyone in the world could have heard it!" I cried, my rage initiated.  
  
" You're calling me stupid?!" Bakura asked, his own anger rising.  
  
" Shut up, both of you!" Ryou yelled. Naturally, that shut us up right away. We both turned to stare at him. Ryou rarely ever spoke above normal volume, much less yelled. " Yugi and Himeko are moving, and they're heading towards the girls' bathroom by Mrs. Hiraki's class. I think Kaiba is with them."  
  
" I feel pretty stupid. Outdone by a light." Bakura muttered. Ryou grinned at this small victory.  
  
" You are pretty stupid." I reminded Bakura, who glared at me. " Come on. You didn't honestly think I'd pass that up." I protested. " Anyway, what's in the girls' bathroom?" I asked. The idea of having to go into a girls' bathroom didn't really sound too appealing. Especially not after seeing Yugi's memories of accidentally going into that forbidden place. Poor guy still got teased about it on occasions, mostly by Anzu.  
  
" Um, that's the bad thing. Yuki is. And a few other people I can't really identify. One is really powerful, though." Ryou said. I was already on my feet and taking off, marveling at how fast Bakura was following me. I nearly had another head on collision with the oldest of my two dear sisters, and then I had to avoid her temperamental attempt to knock me out.  
  
" Who's in there, aside from Yuki?" Yugi asked, giving the bathroom door a nervous glance.  
  
" Gee, I wonder. Perhaps girls?" Kaiba muttered. He was as nervous and annoyed with the whole situation as I was. Here I was, not five yards away from Yuki, and completely unable to help her because of some stupid social restriction.  
  
" Oh, honestly!" Himeko cried out in frustration. She stormed past Bakura and Ryou, and plowed straight into the bathroom. Ryou was actually the first to pluck up enough courage to follow her. Of course, Yugi, Bakura, Kaiba, and I were not going to let him be the one to outdo us again, so we followed him. But not a one of us wasn't nervous beyond comprehension.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
Men can be so stupid. Excuse me if you happen to be of the male species, but what is so scary about a girls' bathroom? It's really no different from a guys' bathroom. And no, I don't know this from experience. I know this because it's common knowledge. Really, it's not like there was a huge monster in there just waiting to devour them. Now, if Yuki had been in trouble in the boys' bathroom, All five of them would have plunged in without further thought. I would have been right behind them. But a girls' bathroom? No way.  
  
And so, with those sort of thoughts in my head, I plowed into the bathroom in question. I was not pleased with what I saw.  
  
" What the hell is going on here?" I asked, struggling to keep my temper in check. I waved my hand behind me as I sensed the guys finally following me. Don't come in until I say so. I whispered mentally, for all of them, except Seto, to hear. I knew they'd hold him back. If the situation hadn't been so dire, it would have been hilarious when Machiko, Aiko, Kimi, and Tori all leapt to their feet.  
  
" Himeko!" Tori sputtered. I like to think I command an amount of respect from the female population. This was proof I was right. Machiko instantly dropped the knife in her hand. Yuki looked up at me from the floor where she was bound up. My anger seethed again, but I kept it under control.  
  
" What the hell is going on here?" I repeated, a little more angrily.  
  
" None of your business!" Machiko cried, bending down to pick up the knife she had been about to hurt Yuki with.  
  
" If it involves Yuki, then it is my business." I growled.  
  
" We're not any more afraid of you than we are of her." Aiko said. Aiko was a little thing. Not much more than skin and bones. I'm no giantess myself, and I'm actually really short by this age's standards, but I'm big enough to be threatening to Aiko. It must have taken a lot of courage for that little mouse to speak up against me. But none the less, it enraged me further.  
  
" I'd be afraid, if I were you." I cautioned them. Get ready. I whispered to the guys.  
  
" Please. You're just all talk and no fight. Just like her." Machiko said, gesturing to Yuki, whose wild eyes had grown much calmer with my very presence. It made me feel good to know she had such faith in me.  
  
Now. I whispered mentally. I felt Ammon, Tepe, and Seto step up behind me. " I may be, but they aren't." I said, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. I was glad they had sent those three in first. Those three are far more intimidating than Yugi or Ryou.  
  
The next few seconds were rather amusing as all four girls scrambled to get out of the bathroom, only to find Yugi and Ryou, both well known as "good boys," waiting outside. Then, they fell to pleading for mercy. Ryou and Yugi finally decided that they wouldn't tell any teachers, for now. So the four girls left, but not before Machiko stopped to give the untied Yuki a dangerous glare.  
  
" Don't think this is over, cutie. Your little posse won't always be there to protect you. I'll get you when you least expect it." She called, then followed Kimi down the hall to her class.  
  
We all went back to class, telling tales of feeling violently ill. In Ryou, Yugi, Yuki, and even Seto's case, we were believed by all the teachers. Even Tepe got a break, mostly because he was still new. However, Ammon and I had been here long enough for us to have skipped a few classes. So we got the book thrown at us.  
  
" Damn it. Two weeks detention. That can't be fair." Ammon groaned. Yugi smiled up at him as we walked home, accompanied for the moment by Tepe and Ryou. My own light side had been forced into a limo ride home by our ever protective brothers, Tepe, and Seto. Ryou and I were content with Yuki's claim to be able to protect herself, but the other guys didn't believe it.  
  
" Well, if you hadn't skipped geometry class last month, it probably wouldn't have been so bad." Yugi said patronizingly. Ammon ruffled his hair affectionately.  
  
" Say one more word like I'm some kid, and I'll rip your tongue out." Ammon threatened calmly. Yugi smiled again, but he didn't say anything.  
  
" I find this rather funny. You received punishment, and yet I did not." Tepe said, sounding marveled with the fact. " The tables have turned, I believe."  
  
" Ha! Let's see you keep it up! You'll have a record long as your arm in a month." Ammon said.  
  
" He does it." Tepe said, pointing to Ryou, who made a face at him. Fortunately, Tepe didn't notice because he was facing Ammon and I. " If he can do it, how hard can it be?"  
  
" You couldn't keep out of trouble in our own age. What makes you think you can do it now?" Ammon asked. I rolled my eyes.  
  
" I like seeing you get into trouble without getting into trouble myself?" Tepe suggested innocently.  
  
" Can you two not bicker for one afternoon?" I asked. " Now let's figure out what Machiko and her friends wanted with Yuki."  
  
" Jealousy?" Ryou suggested. Everyone stared at him.  
  
" Yuki is the nicest girl in the whole school. Why, in the name of Ra, would anyone be jealous of her?" Yami asked.  
  
" Well, just that. She's so nice. And since Kaiba has more girls chasing after him than most superstar guys, and he's practically devoted to Yuki, that makes a whole lot of girls jealous. And then they see Honda and Kaiba duking it out all the time, and to them it must look like Yuki doesn't even care. It's easy enough to understand." Ryou explained.  
  
" If it's so easy to understand, how come I don't?" Tepe asked. Ammon just kept staring.  
  
" I think Ryou's right. Their just jealous." I said decisively. " Ha! I've got a light that everyone's jealous of!" I cried, sticking my tongue out at Ammon and Tepe.  
  
" I'm not jealous at all!" Tepe protested.  
  
" You little brat!" Ammon cried. " My light's better!"  
  
" Uh-uh!" I shot back.  
  
" Uh-huh!" Ammon responded. Yugi and Ryou stared at us like we were all crazy.  
  
" Now, now." Tepe said calmly. " We all know my light is the best, so we can stop fighting."  
  
" You pompous-" Ammon started.  
  
" Why you big-" I said at the same time.  
  
" Hey, stop that!" We both yelled at each other. We kept that up for a minute before Yugi stepped in.  
  
" How about we all agree that yami's and lights alike are all equal?" he suggested.  
  
" I still think-" I started.  
  
" Himeko, don't even!" Ryou and Yugi threatened.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
It didn't matter that I was safe at home. It didn't even make a difference that I was curled into a ball on my bed with Seto's arms around me. I was still shaking. I could still hear Machiko's cold voice, whispering to me as she brought the knife close to my face to tear it to shreds.  
  
" I wonder the blood of purity tastes like." She had whispered. I hadn't told them. I was scared to. I felt like one wrong word, and Machiko would be back. In that moment, her mahogany eyes had shone black and her hand on my throat had been cold as ice.  
  
" Yuki, tell me what's wrong." Seto begged me. He hadn't left me since we walked in the door and I had fallen into a pathetic heap at his feet. I kept silent, afraid that my voice would betray my unreasonable terror further. Seto slipped his arms off of me and reached for the phone beside my bed. " I've had enough of this, Yuki. I'm calling your brothers and Himeko." He told me. I reached for the phone to stop him, but he stepped out of my reach.  
  
" Don't!" I begged him, my voice trembling.  
  
" I'm calling them." Seto said firmly. I tried to glare at him, but I was too scared. I don't know why I was so scared. I had absolutely nothing to be afraid of, and I knew it. But still, the terror was as fresh as it had been when the knife was at my cheek. Maybe I was afraid because of what had rendered me helpless in that moment. I had become used to being unstoppable once provoked. But Machiko, without raising so much as a finger, had left me helpless. Those silly ropes were nothing I couldn't have broken under normal circumstances. But when Machiko looked at me, her hate burned like an unstoppable flame. Her hate was palpable. And it left me powerless as a baby before her. It was like a hypnotic power that made me hold still and make it easy for her to slice me to ribbons. And she wanted to know what my blood tasted like. I was sure that was what she meant by "purity."  
  
" Yeah... She hasn't done much of anything... No, I don't think she's in shock... No... Yes, as soon as possible... If I knew that I wouldn't be calling you!" Seto cried in annoyance. I sat up and looked him. " Yeah, I'll see you then." He said into the phone and hung up. " They'll be here in a few minutes." He told me reassuringly.  
  
" She told me..." I started, in a whisper, but then stopped myself. I wouldn't have Seto worrying about me more than he already did. Just then, the phone rang. Out of sheer habit, I reached out and picked it up. " Hello?" I said into the phone. If I had been the kind of girl who faints a lot, I probably would have fainted when the person on the other end replied. Even so, I almost did faint.  
  
" Hi, cutie." Machiko's voice said calmly. My face drained of all color and Seto looked at me curiously. " That's okay, don't say anything. Just listen." Machiko said hurriedly. " You know what I want. You know I'm going to get it. So why resist me? Besides, who knows what would happen to your precious friends if you resist?" Machiko asked. I tried to swallow, but my throat and mouth were as dry as the Sahara Desert. I could barely breathe. " Do you really want your dear brothers and your lovely sister paying the price for your stubbornness? Oh, dear. I've got to go, cutie. But I'm gonna getcha!" Machiko cried, laughing before hanging up the phone. I listened to the dial tone for a minute, before dropping the phone to the ground and looking up at Seto.  
  
" Why?" I asked him helplessly.  
  
" That was Machiko, wasn't it?" he asked. I nodded numbly. " What does she want?"  
  
" Me." I said, with no emotion in my voice. " She wants my blood."  
  
About half an hour later, Yami, Yugi, Himeko, Bakura, Ryou, Honda, Anzu, and Seto were all sitting with me in the main living room of Seto's mansion. The younger boys, Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio, were all outside playing with Kentaro. We figured no one was stupid enough to try to hurt them with Kentaro there, and we'd hear him bark if there was trouble.  
  
" What is she, some sort of vampire?" Anzu asked after I had told them the entire story.  
  
" No way. Vampires aren't real." Honda said, waving his hand dismissively.  
  
" Two years ago, Honda, you would have said that I wasn't real. That Yugi just needed a therapist." Yami said calmly. " You've seen for yourself that some things regarded as 'not real' are actually quite real after all."  
  
" Still, vampire? Come on. That seems like something you'd tell the little guys on Halloween night." Ryou protested. Bakura silenced him.  
  
" Don't speak of things you don't understand. Even in Egypt in the old days there were tales of creatures that walked by night and drank the blood of mortals, creatures that surpassed death and became something else." He said. " Everywhere I've ever been have similar tales. If you look into the past of this country, you'll find such tales as well."  
  
" The story of the vampire that took the form of a mortal woman and married one of her would-have-been victims." Anzu said, nodding.  
  
" He's got a point. A lot of cultures have stories about vampires. They just don't call them by the same names." Seto said.  
  
" But those old tales speak of inhuman things that walk by night, and are harmed by the sun. Machiko comes to school in the day. By sunlight." Himeko protested.  
  
" Sunscreen?" Honda suggested. Everyone except myself groaned.  
  
" Vampire just doesn't fit. For some reason, I just can't think of Machiko as a vampire." Yugi said, shaking his head.  
  
" Honestly, I think we should get her expelled for threatening Yuki." Anzu said.  
  
" Lot of good that would do. We've got no evidence. And even if we did get her and her group expelled, she'd just come after Yuki outside of school. And then, of course, she'd have even more reason to hate Yuki." Honda said, sighing. I lowered my head and cradled it in my hands.  
  
" But why would she want Yuki's blood, and Yuki's blood only? Why not Yami or Himeko?" Ryou wondered.  
  
" Or you, perhaps." Himeko said, glaring at Ryou. However, no one had an answer for this. I had an idea, but I didn't say it out loud.  
  
" Shouldn't Jou and Mai be here by now?" Seto asked, looking around as though he expected to see them in the room with us.  
  
" Yeah, come to think of it. They are late." Yugi said.  
  
" More than fifteen minutes, too. Mai likes to be fifteen minutes late at most, and five minutes late at least. She calls it fashionably late. I call it late." Himeko said, shrugging.  
  
" I'll call them. They're at Mai's place, right?" Honda, who was nearest to the living room phone, said. He picked up the phone and dialed Mai's number. " Hello. This is Honda. I was just calling to see if- What's wrong?" Honda asked suddenly, looking alarmed. " Look, just calm down and tell me-" now all the color drained from Honda's face.  
  
" Oh, God." I moaned.  
  
*+*+*Jou*+*+*  
  
After school and the incident with Yuki, I decided to walk home with Mai. I just felt like I needed to be with her. Thank goodness she accepted my company.  
  
" So, did you finish that geometry assignment?" Mai asked me. I sighed and shifted my bag.  
  
" Do I ever?" I asked, grimacing. " I swear that teacher's out to get me." I needed to make good grades. I wanted more than anything to get into a good college. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my life, but I was sure I would need a good education. I didn't always feel this way, but I did now. All I had to do was look at my father. I love my father. I always did. But my father is the definition of low for a man. I never wanted to be like him, stuck in a dead end job with a son I barely know, getting drunk every night and sleeping with women I'll never see again. That is not my description of what a man should be.  
  
" Yeah. Anyway, I sent in that application to that college in Paris." Mai said. I looked at her. I wanted her to have a good education as much as I wanted to get one myself, but the idea of her being clear in Paris, France, did not appeal to me. A man, I thought to myself. A man should be honest and loyal, like Honda. He should be brave and strong, like Yami. He should be intelligent and a leader, like Kaiba. He should be loving and gentle, like Yugi. I couldn't help but worry that I was destined for the same fate as my father, a lowlife that can't get a decent job. A man should be able to care and provide for the woman he loves. I wanted to be that kind of man. I was willing to make any sacrifice to be that kind of man for Mai. The kind of man she deserved. The kind that wouldn't hurt her, not the kind that girls like Mai seem to attract.  
  
" And?" I prodded, trying to forget the ominous thoughts in my head.  
  
" And, it's a three month wait for a reply. At least." Mai said as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. " I'm not expecting a reply for a while, if I get one at all."  
  
" Wish I knew what I was doing with my life, like you." I said, feeling a little envious.  
  
" Well, you'll figure it out. I know you will. And I also know you're going to call me the minute you do." Mai said, smiling at me as she unlocked the door.  
  
" Anzu seemed better today." I said.  
  
" Yeah. It was good to see her smiling like that after that night at the movies. She was really blowing chunks." Mai said.  
  
" That wasn't a good night for anybody." I said.  
  
" Yuki and Kaiba were okay." Mai said, looking up at me as we walked into her apartment. She went to the fridge and handed me a soda, and got a bottled water for herself. She always ate like that. Everything was that tasteless health food crap.  
  
" Kaiba told me that Yuki was anything but okay. She felt everything Himeko felt." I said.  
  
" Wow. That must be so weird, knowing there's someone out there who knows everything about you, someone who created you." Mai said. " I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous. I've always wanted a sister, and Yuki gets not only a sister, but two brothers out of the blue."  
  
" I've been a little jealous of them since Yami first showed up. Him and Yugi just seemed so close, like brothers. But you know, it's not like they really don't deserve it all. They've really been through a lot." I said.  
  
" You're right. It's just... Well, you know. You always do." Mai said, smiling up at me. I plopped down on the couch just as the phone rang. " I've got it." Mai called, heading into her room where the phone in question was ringing. When she came back, her face was a little pale.  
  
" What's the matter?" I asked.  
  
" Yuki. It's like she's in shock or something. Yugi just called and said that Kaiba called him and Yuki's not doing well." She told me.  
  
" Okay. Let's go, then." I said, standing up. " Think we can get there on foot, or do we have money for a bus?" I asked. Mai walked up to me, stood on tiptoe, smiled, and gave me kiss on the cheek. I blushed a red bright enough to make my face pass off as a tomato.  
  
" That's what I like about you, Jou. You're always willing to drop what you're doing, no matter what it is, and help a friend. Would you do that for me?" she asked.  
  
" Hell, Mai, I'd already be running down the street if it was you." I muttered. Mai's smile grew.  
  
" Well, let's go then." She said. However, when she opened the door, someone was already there.  
  
" Hello there." Machiko said. " I need to use your phone. Oh, and you as well."  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
I thought I was going to drop where I stood and die. I was standing in Mai's living room. Across the room, Honda and Kaiba were trying to comfort Mai's mother. No one had been able to find Jou's dad.  
  
" Do you know where we could find Mr. Jounouchi, son?" a police officer asked me. I sighed and turned from the sight of the living room. I thought that if I looked at it any longer, I would vomit. Anzu hadn't even been able to come in.  
  
" You might want to look in all the bars in a two mile radius from his apartment." I said. I didn't say it scornfully. I said it for what it was. A fact. I turned back to the living room. Yami was looking down at a dark brownish-red stain on the cream colored rug. The couch had been over turned and several lamps lay shattered on the ground. Whoever had taken Jou and Mai hadn't done so without having to fight them first. Bakura approached me from behind.  
  
" You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked. Ryou also stepped close.  
  
" Probably." I muttered. I felt angry, and guilty. I looked up at Yuki, who stared blankly at Mai's bloody and torn jacket, tossed carelessly on the floor near the door. " This just got way more serious."  
  
" No. This is war now." Himeko growled. 


	9. One At a Time

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Nine... One At A Time  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
As much as I hated to admit it, Machiko had us exactly where she wanted us. She had Jou and Mai. God only knew what she was doing to them. We figured she would probably come after us all in ones and twos. And that conclusion brought us all to the main living room in the mansion. Yugi's grandpa was sleeping in a well-protected room nearby. We figured no one was safe. Thank goodness Ryou's father was on one of his trips, and Mai's mother was staying with her parents. As for Jou's dad, no one could find him and we were hardly surprised. Anzu's mother was out of town as well on a business trip, and Honda's parents didn't know about any of it.  
  
" If I ever get my hands on that little bitch, I swear..." Himeko muttered to herself. I tried to get comfortable on one of the air mattresses that we had set out on the ground. We were all sleeping together in the living room. It was hardly the first time we had done it, even though Bakura had never been with us, but it never got any more comfortable.  
  
" Himeko, kick me one more time, and I'll break both your legs." Yami growled.  
  
" Can you guys please shut up?" Honda begged.  
  
" I hate you, Ryou." Bakura muttered under his breath. " Dumb kid's already asleep."  
  
" Whoever is hitting the back of the couch, please stop it." Yugi, who had curled up on the couch, pleaded. Finally, we all seemed to fall silent. I listened to Yuki next to me, as everyone else stopped shifting fell asleep. I could tell by the rate of Yuki's breath that she was not asleep. I was glad she had chosen to sleep nearer to me than Honda. I know I must sound really jealous, and I'll be the first to admit that I was. Terribly so. The idea of Honda hugging her and taking care of her infuriated me. I had no clue why, though.  
  
" Yuki, are you okay?" I asked, keeping my voice at a whisper.  
  
" Do I look okay?" she asked in return. I smiled softly and reached out to touch her. My fingers found her hair and began toying with a silken lock of it.  
  
" I don't know. I can't really see you." I told her. I felt her smile and heard her chuckle softly. My thumb grazed her cheek and I felt the wetness of tears.  
  
" I feel so guilty. This is all my fault. If I hadn't-" Yuki started, but I pushed a finger to her lips.  
  
" Shh." I whispered. " If you want to start talking like that, you might as well say that it's Yami and Himeko and Bakura's fault. But if none of that stuff had happened, then you and Yugi and Ryou wouldn't be here today. The world would be lacking three great people. And I wouldn't have a best friend. So don't you think it's better things happened the way they did?" I asked. Yuki nodded a little.  
  
" But why do so many people have to be hurt?" she asked. " Why do Jou and Mai have to be hurt? Why do you and everyone else have to suffer?"  
  
" I don't think anyone can answer those questions. The only way to know is to do our best and beat Machiko." I told her. She snuggled close to me, and despite the fact that I was missing the presence of one of my best friends, I felt like it might be okay. At least, I hoped it would.  
  
*+*+Honda*+*+*  
  
I woke up in the middle of the night, half-way rolled off the air mattress I had all to myself. Lucky me. Especially since Yuki was curled up with Kaiba. If the day hadn't left me so exhausted, I would've had something to say about that. I sat up, looked around, then slammed my head face first into the pillow. I wouldn't have ever admitted it, but I was scared. Jou and Mai were some of the toughest people I knew. And now they were gone. And then I remembered when I looked at Yuki at Mai's apartment, how she looked so scared and guilty. Somewhere nearby, somebody shifted and sat up. I lifted my head to see who. Anzu, who had been sleeping in the second couch opposite to Yugi. She stood up and walked toward the kitchen, her bare feet padding on the marble floor. I decided to follow her.  
  
" Hi." I said shortly as I walked into the kitchen.  
  
" Oh!" Anzu cried, startled. " Honda, you scared me!" she said, in a loud whisper.  
  
" Sorry." I said, with no conviction. We were all scared. A little shock like that should be nothing.  
  
" What are you doing awake?" Anzu asked.  
  
" Making sure nobody kidnaps you." I answered. Anzu smiled up at me.  
  
" Who'd be stupid enough to try to get past Kentaro, and the human guards, and the computer alarm system, and the surveillance system? I think this is the safest place we could be." She said.  
  
" So long as we don't go outside." I said darkly.  
  
" Well, you won't have worry about me, then. I'm staying right inside." Anzu told me as I poured us both a glass of water. I handed her one and we both drank deeply. " Hey, Honda?" Anzu asked quietly.  
  
" Yeah?" I answered, thinking about going back to bed.  
  
" Are you scared?" Anzu asked me. I looked at her and smiled.  
  
" What's to be scared of?" I asked. Anzu smiled up at me, thankful, I think, that I didn't say yes. Thankful for once that I didn't tell her the whole truth. Yes, I was scared. I was terrified. But I wasn't going to let anyone but me see that.  
  
" I guess you're right." Anzu said, nodding. " Do you ever, you know, feel like if Yugi hadn't solved that stupid puzzle, none of this would be happening?" she asked.  
  
" Sometimes. But then I tell myself it's not Yugi's fault, or Ryou's, or Yuki's. They can't help what they were meant to do anymore than we can help the fact that we were meant to help them." I said, looking distantly out the window. " So, yeah. Sometimes I get angry at them. Sometimes I wish they hadn't dragged me into this. But then again, who am I to argue with fate?"  
  
" Thanks, Honda." Anzu said after a moment.  
  
" For what?" I asked.  
  
" For making me feel better." She explained.  
  
" You're welcome, I guess." I said, shrugging. Normally, I wouldn't have been so callous about it, but I was tired. Anzu left the room, saying she was going to the bathroom and then back to bed. I stayed in the kitchen for a little while. " Who was strong enough to take you, Jou?" I wondered out loud. And as I spoke, the clouds rolled away from the full moon and the light poured down of the backyard of the Kaiba Mansion. " Oh, God..." I murmured. There, lying face down on the grass, was Jou's unmistakable form. I forgot everything we had agreed on. I forgot every precaution about going outside I had been given. All I cared about was getting to my best friend. I threw open the door and ran out to him, dropping to my knees beside him. The grass was wet with dew, but I didn't care. " Jou! Jou! Wake up! Damn it, get up!" I yelled. No movement, no answer. I rolled him over so that he was face up. " Jou, you big lug, wake up!" I cried, feeling for his pulse. As I did that, something hard hit me over the back of the head. Then, I knew nothing else.  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
" Yugi! Yugi, wake up!" someone kept screaming. I rolled over and buried my head in my pillow, pulling the blankets over my head. " Damn it, Yugi! Wake up!" the person screamed. I moaned and rolled again- right off the couch.  
  
" Ow!" I cried as my head hit hard floor. The rest of me, however, fell on something warm and soft.  
  
" Who the hell?" Yami asked, batting me off of him with a dismissive motion of his arm. It was a little insulting that he could just bat me off, when it took all my strength to move him. And that insult was what woke me up entire.  
  
" Yugi!" Anzu's voice kept screaming.  
  
" Damn it, girl! Shut up!" Bakura barked.  
  
" You shut up!" Ryou cried, rolling over angrily.  
  
" Everybody shut up!" Kaiba moaned. Yuki made a muffled noise and cuddled closer to Kaiba.  
  
" I will not shut up!" Anzu bellowed. " Honda's missing!" I sat straight up. Unfortunately, Himeko and Yami, who were sleeping on the air mattress I had fallen next to, sat up as well. And Yami tried to stand up.  
  
" YAMI! THAT'S MY LEG!" I screamed. Yami fell on his butt, trying to get off of me and tripping over the blankets he had previously been sleeping under.  
  
" Oh, Ra..." Himeko moaned.  
  
" Who's missing?" Ryou asked, sitting up. Bakura almost hit him upside the head, then remembered himself when Himeko gave him a glare.  
  
" Honda is!" Anzu cried, exasperated.  
  
" Please no..." Yuki murmured, hiding her face in her hands.  
  
" Yami, you weigh a ton!" I cried, rubbing my leg where he had stepped on it.  
  
" Well, if you had the common sense to move..." Yami said, purposely trailing his voice off as he moved.  
  
" How was I supposed to know you were gonna try to crush me to death with your big feet?!" I shrilled back.  
  
" Will you two please concentrate?" Himeko asked loudly. Yami and I shut up.  
  
" Honda and I were talking in the kitchen, and I left because I had to go to the bathroom. The next thing I know, I heard him yell something and then the door slammed open. By the time I got there, the door was hanging open, and Honda was gone." Anzu told us. We were all somewhat awake by now. Ryou and I are hard sleepers, and it takes a while for us to wake up. We were both yawning and rubbing our eyes, despite the situation.  
  
" The door was open?" Kaiba demanded of Anzu, his right arm wrapped around Yuki, who was still holding her face in her hands.  
  
" Yeah, it was." Anzu said, wrapping her arms around herself. I took one of her hands on mine and gave it a comforting squeeze.  
  
" Damn it." Kaiba muttered, picking up the living room phone and dialing quickly. He left Yuki alone in the process, and Yami filled his place.  
  
" This is all my fault." Yuki murmured. Yami, who I had seen be comforting a total of four times, made soothing noises and reassured her. So, now I had seen him be comforting five times. Kaiba hung up the phone and turned back to us.  
  
" Security says that their man in that section of the yard isn't responding to their radios, and that they detected three intruders. They weren't able to stop them." He told us.  
  
" The stories do say that vampires have superhuman strength." Ryou noted quietly.  
  
" From this point on, we operate under the assumption that Machiko and her group are vampires." Yami said seriously.  
  
" Great. And that changes our plans how?" Himeko asked irritably. Yami only shrugged.  
  
" They've got Jou, Mai, and now Honda too." Anzu whimpered. I squeezed her hand again, and she smiled at me thankfully.  
  
" They're going after the mortals first." Bakura noted.  
  
" Path of least resistance?" I suggested.  
  
" Question." Ryou said. " Are Yugi, Yuki, and I mortal, or what?"  
  
" Or what." Himeko answered. " You guys are lights. Nobody's sure exactly where you fall, but you're not normal mortals."  
  
" Okay, looks like Kaiba and Anzu are the only mortals left, then." Yami said. " We're gonna have to look after them."  
  
" Tomorrow's Friday. We've got school." Anzu said.  
  
" We all caught your stomach virus." Kaiba said. Himeko grinned and pretended to barf.  
  
" Okay then. Who knows where we can get wooden stakes?" I asked. Everyone laughed, but the seriousness of the situation was still there.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I felt terrible. I don't mean I felt like I was sick. It would have been better if I did, but I felt terrible in a different way. This whole thing with Machiko was tearing me apart. I felt so scared and guilty. Scared for the people I loved, and, selfishly, for myself. Guilty because I was scared for myself, because people I loved were suffering because Machiko wanted me. Next they would go after Anzu and Seto. I just couldn't bear the very thought.  
  
I forced myself to sit up. Anzu was playing a card game with Yugi, who was undoubtedly winning. I had been laying on one of the couches, trying to muster up the motivation to do something, anything. Seto was upstairs in his study, and Ryou was with him. No one wanted to be alone. Yami, Himeko, and Bakura were sitting on the floor in front of the TV, watching some DVD. Bakura and Yami had both fallen asleep, so I figured it was a romantic movie, especially since Himeko was paying rapt attention. She always was, despite her rough and angry attitude, a sucker for romance.  
  
" How are you feeling, Yuki?" Anzu asked. I looked at her. I didn't know how to respond. It was such a simple question. But the answer was beyond me. I shrugged. I had no other way to answer her.  
  
" It'll be okay." Yugi assured me. That was easy for him to say. There wasn't a maniac after his blood. Well, that wasn't quite fair of me to think. Machiko probably wouldn't stop at mortals. She'd take all my friends in ones and twos until I was all that was left. She wanted me to suffer by making my friends suffer. I pulled my knees to my chest and laid my head on them. I stayed in this position for a long time, listening to the movie Himeko was watching (I finally decided it was Moulin Rouge, just the kind of movie my darker side would love) and to Yugi and Anzu talking. Finally, the phone rang. Everything froze. Bakura, who was sleeping with his head on Himeko's shoulder, was jarred awake when she jerked away to turn off the movie, and Yami was kicked to wakefulness when she tripped over him. Everyone held perfectly still, and Ryou and Seto appeared at the top of the stairs. I reached behind me, sitting up fully, picked the cordless up off its hanger, pressed the button, took a deep breath, and put it to my ear.  
  
" Hello?" I said tentatively, trying to keep my voice from shaking.  
  
" Miss Yuki, this is the security section." A gruff male voice told me. The security section for the mansion monitored pretty much everything lately. Nothing but the best for the Kaiba Mansion. I nearly melted from relief. Until his next words. " We have an incoming call for you. Should I turn on the recorder?"  
  
" Um, yes." I whispered. Everyone around me was still as a bunch of statues. I listened to the click that signified the changing of lines. " Hello?" I asked.  
  
" Hey, cutie. How's it going?" Machiko's voice greeted me. She sounded bubbly and happy. " Really, that's so interesting." She said before I could respond. " Anyway, I just wanted you to know that Honda guy is a total doll. And Jounouchi? He's a riot!" Machiko said. I clenched my fists.  
  
" What have you done to them?" I asked calmly.  
  
" Done? Nothing. Yet." Machiko answered.  
  
" I want to talk to them." I demanded.  
  
" Aren't you the needy one?" Machiko teased. I snarled into the phone.  
  
" Let me talk to them." I repeated. I could see Himeko grinning. She was always telling me to be more assertive.  
  
" Oh, fine. Ruin my fun." Machiko said. I heard shuffle noises and then a lot of yelling.  
  
" Yuki?" Jou's voice was probably the most welcome thing I had ever heard.  
  
" Jou! Are you okay?" I asked, so happy to hear him, I slipped from the couch to the ground. Seto looked too relieved to speak.  
  
" I'm okay. They've got us tied up in chairs. Mai's a little cut up, but she'll be fine, and Honda's got a bump on the back of his head. And I think I might have sprained my arm. Yuki, you've got to do something! This girl is insane-" at that point, Machiko must have taken the phone away from Jou, because the next thing I heard was Machiko.  
  
" Sorry, that was getting a little insulting." She said.  
  
" Let me talk to Mai and Honda." I requested.  
  
" Sorry, I think I've been nice enough for one day. You know what I want, cutie. I'm gonna get it." Machiko said, laughing as she hung up the phone. I held it to my ear until security came back on.  
  
" We got that all recorded, Miss." The guy on the other end told me.  
  
" Can you trace it?" I asked.  
  
" Sorry. It's an unlisted number. Trace-resistant." I was told. I thanked him and hung up the phone. I told everyone else what Jou had told me.  
  
" How did he sound?" Yami asked.  
  
" His voice was dry and raspy, like he hadn't had enough to drink. Other than that, he just sounded like he was under a lot of stress." I answered.  
  
" Did you hear any other distinguishing sounds?" Ryou asked.  
  
" Nothing. Security's got it recorded, though. I wasn't really listening for anything but Jou or Machiko. Maybe I missed something." I said, shrugging.  
  
" Let's hope you did." Seto said, turning toward the stairs. He stopped halfway there and turned back. " Well, who wants to come along?" he asked.  
  
" I will." Himeko offered, jogging after him. We had already agreed not to go anywhere, even to the bathroom, alone. We went everywhere in pairs and trios.  
  
It was about ten minutes later when everyone still downstairs heard glass shattering and screaming. I can tell you for a fact that we all set an unofficial world record for running up three flights of stairs to the security room. A total of twenty-three men work there. And they were all unconscious. A smoggy gas hung over the room. I've lived my life the daughter of a successful businessman, and best friend of the richest teenager in the world. I know sleeping gas when I smell it. And that stuff was sleeping gas. I had to haul Bakura back and slam the door closed.  
  
" That's sleeping gas in there!" I cried, turning around and throwing open a panel. Thank God, I thought, that the ventilation controls are right near here. I flipped a switch and cranked the air in that room. It would be frigid when we went in, but that was a small price to pay to avoid the gas. A few minutes later, I opened the door experimentally. I was pleased with the blast of cold air that greeted me. I thanked Seto mentally for putting in a state of the art ventilation system. Then I stepped in and took a deep breath. " It's okay. It's all gone." I called back, shivering with the cold.  
  
" Thank you, Yuki, for knowing your dangerous gases." Yugi muttered. The window overlooking the back of the mansion's estate was shattered entirely. There were three ropes that fell from above past the window. Shattered glass and two bricks lay on the ground near the window. A few feet from the central console in the middle of the room was the canister the gas must have come from. A few walls had scorch marks on them, and one had a hole burnt entirely through it, showing the next room.  
  
" Well, first, they came down from the roof on the ropes, threw in the bricks to break the windows. Then they threw in the canister to put everyone to sleep. I'm guessing they had gas masks of some kind, because I think then they went in and grabbed Seto and Himeko." I had been talking calmly and smoothly, until I said the last part. Then I broke down. I sank to my knees, ignoring the glass.  
  
" Looks like Himeko went down fighting." Yami noted, nodding to the scorch marks.  
  
" But, Himeko isn't mortal! Even a vampire couldn't take her down!" Anzu protested.  
  
" I hate to be the one to tell you this, girl," Bakura said, turning to her fully. " But just because Himeko isn't normal like you doesn't necessarily mean she's invincible. She's strong, one of the strongest, and I'll be the first to tell you so. But she's been beaten before, and she'll be beaten again. No one is invincible. I think Machiko is counting on that."  
  
" They got Isis. In the name of Ra, this had got to stop!" Yami cried, slamming his hand on a computer console.  
  
" Wait!" I cried, lurching to my feet and shoving Yami out of my way. I tapped furiously at the computer, until finally I got it to replay the surveillance of the security room during the time span from when Seto and Himeko came in until now. " Watch." I commanded, hitting the play button. We saw Seto enter the room, Himeko following him. They talked to the head of security, who was now snoozing at my feet, for a few minutes. After about five, another man handed Seto a tape. A few seconds later, the window shattered and the room clouded up. I turned the tape off. I had seen all I needed to.  
  
" Damn. That means they got they tape of the phone call too. That was our evidence." Yugi muttered.  
  
" I couldn't really care less, Yugi. They took my sister. I swear, I will make them pay." Yami growled.  
  
" I'll help." Bakura volunteered. It was probably the first time I had ever seen them agree.  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I was roughly yanked from unconsciousness when someone dropped me on what I assumed to be the floor. It was a hard wood floor, I can tell you that. Something was dropped beside me. I couldn't see. I tried opening my eyes, but I couldn't see any better than when they were closed. My next instinct was to try to move. I only succeeded in squirming a little like a worm, and discovering that I was bound with my hands behind my back and bound at the feet as well. I could tell now that I was more aware that I was also gagged. I still tried to speak, anyway.  
  
" Mmmphh!" I managed. Okay, that wasn't working. I received a sharp kick in the gut for my efforts.  
  
" Keep your mouth shut and stay still, and you'll get something to drink and eat later." I was told. I recognized the voice as Kimi's. I held still accordingly. I may be used to giving orders, but I also know how and when to take them.  
  
" Not so rough with the merchandise. I like him best." Machiko's voice called from somewhere else. " You got problems, take 'em out on Himeko." I flailed angrily at this remark, and something nearby made similar noises to the ones I had made. I took it that the soft, warm thing I kept bumping into was Himeko, and she was flailing.  
  
" Hey, Machiko. Why don't we just get Yuki and be done with it?" Aiko asked.  
  
" That's no fun. I want her to suffer." Machiko said with a malicious laugh. I moved a little and nudged Himeko comfortingly. Then I began to feel about as best I could without attracting attention. I felt out someone's foot, and the foot nudged me back questioningly. I racked my brain for a way to communicate with this minimum contact. Then I got my break.  
  
" Just leave her alone. She never did anything to you!" Jou's voice protested.  
  
" You want us to put the gag back on?" Tori asked angrily. The foot I had contacted nudged me to the left. I moved in that direction until I found another foot.  
  
" Kaiba, just stay with Himeko." Jou whispered.  
  
" What'd you say?" Machiko called.  
  
" Just thinking out loud." Jou said calmly. I obediently worked my way back to Himeko.  
  
" We're gonna have to get chairs for Kaiba and Himeko. We can't just leave them on the floor." Aiko noted.  
  
" Yeah, I guess." Machiko consented. " Hey, are Mai's cuts still fresh? I'm feeling pretty under the weather." I swear, I would have jumped out of my skin if I hadn't been bound.  
  
" Yeah, they're still fresh." Kimi answered. Strangely, I heard no sounds of struggle from Honda, Jou, or even from Mai. Himeko and I were the only ones that seemed afraid, from what I could sense about my environment.  
  
" Just stay still, you two." Jou said comfortingly. Himeko pushed herself against my back. I thought for a second she was Yuki, but remembered that she wasn't.  
  
" You're going to be a good girl this time, aren't you, Mai? Here, I'll even take your gag off." Machiko said.  
  
" I'm not your drinking faucet, blood-sucker." Mai said calmly. I heard a loud slapping sound.  
  
" You forget who's got the power, Mai. You wouldn't want me to make all new cuts, now would you?" Machiko said. " Oh well. I'm sick of your blood anyway. It's pretty tasty, but it hasn't got the potency I need. Bring Kaiba over here. Honda, you're going to have to sit on the floor." I was promptly hauled into a chair, squirming and fighting to my best ability.  
  
" Kaiba, it's easier if you just hold still." Mai called. At that moment, I felt my gag being removed.  
  
" Like hell I'm going to hold still and let her suck my blood!" I cried. I felt something hard hit me on the head. I still couldn't see, but at least I was sitting up and I could talk. If my eyes had been open, though, I would have seen red. Fortunately, I didn't black out.  
  
" It's not so bad, Kaiba." Aiko said, fastening me to the chair.  
  
" How can you help a vampire?" I asked, thoroughly annoyed.  
  
" I'm not a vampire. And I don't 'suck' blood, thank you." Machiko said, sounding about as annoyed as I felt. " I drain a little blood and drink it from a cup. And don't worry, I won't drain enough to hurt you. Just a little. It's not your blood I'm after. Consider yourselves appetizers. You're just keeping me alive until the main course." Machiko said. I felt someone rolling up my sleeve. I noticed for the first time that my jacket had been removed. I was wearing a button-up shirt underneath. Then, after making sure my arm was fastened securely to the chair, I felt someone slash across my upper arm three times. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. I grew a little light headed after a few minutes of being "drained." As Machiko promised, she didn't take much. But it was enough to make me woozy.  
  
" This always makes me sick." Kimi said.  
  
" You want immortality? Get used to it." Machiko growled.  
  
" And how do you plan on becoming immortal?" Mai asked. I was too hazy in the head to focus on anything but the throbbing in my arm as it was bandaged.  
  
" By drinking blood of someone with unconceivable power." Machiko answered. I guess she must have drank my blood (the thought still makes me shiver) because her next words were about that. " Wow! That's not bad, for a regular mortal! If I didn't know better, I'd say you had some abilities you've been keeping secret, Kaiba! Anyway, Mai, I'm already immortal. But my friends here wish to have the gift bestowed upon them. Once before were my people given such an opportunity. Unfortunately, it fades after a millennia or so. Because of that, I need Yuki. And as good as your blood is, Kaiba, I'm afraid I took more than I originally intended. And I'm still so thirsty. Get Himeko ready." Machiko ordered. I groaned, and just before I fell asleep, I begged for help. I didn't think anyone would answer my "prayer" but I hoped that maybe... 


	10. Battle Plan

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Ten... Battle Plan  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
The most frustrating thing I had ever done in my entire life is probably sitting on my butt while a bloodthirsty - literally - maniac kidnapped us little by little. It was Saturday. And I felt sick inside. I felt like I had lost my balance, and it showed. I could barely stand up without help. I need Isis. She's my twin. She's as much my other half as Yugi. So, about noontime Saturday found me in the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet, vomiting violently. Being away from my twin actually has real physical symptoms, believe it or not. They're not unlike being away from one's light or dark side. Therefore, Yuki was in another bathroom facing similar difficulties. That's what happens when you have a bond that strong with someone.  
  
" I guess that Mylanta didn't work, huh?" Yugi asked, looking tactfully away as he stood in the doorway. I wouldn't have had anyone else with me in my time of weakness. Out of the people Machiko hadn't taken yet, I trusted only Yugi and Yuki enough to be with me right then. And Yuki had her own problems, so that left Yugi.  
  
" What do you think?" I growled. At that exact moment, my stomach lurched and I leaned over the bowl again. And guess who walked up?  
  
" How's Pharaoh doing?" Bakura's voice asked. I hurled harder. I don't know if it was because of my missing Isis or his presence.  
  
" Bakura, please don't agitate him." Yugi begged.  
  
" I'm not trying to. I actually feel sorry for him, as hard as that is to believe." Bakura said.  
  
" Bull shit." I managed, before it came up all over again. " By Ra..." I moaned.  
  
" I'm telling the truth!" Bakura cried indignantly.  
  
" I find that difficult to believe. I wonder why." I said, sitting back on my feet and trying to calm my rebelling bowels.  
  
" Cut it out, you two. Today of all days, can you not argue?" Yugi pleaded.  
  
" We're not arguing. We're having our idea of a civil conversation." Bakura said.  
  
" You're a pain in the ass." I told him.  
  
" You see? Just a nice conversation." Bakura said to Yugi, who gave me an exasperated look.  
  
" Can you not see that I'm not exactly one hundred percent right now?" I asked.  
  
" Absolutely. Why do you think I'm here?" Bakura asked, grinning. " Seriously, though. I wanted to see if you wanted anything to eat. Ryou's making lunch. I told him I didn't think you'd want anything, but he wanted me to ask."  
  
" For once in your life, you were right. The last thing I need is more to throw up." I said, leaning back over the bowl. " Tell Ryou maybe later. I think it's letting up."  
  
" What's he making?" Yugi asked.  
  
" Just whisper it to him!" I begged. Bakura actually did as I asked.  
  
" Yeah, tell him I want some. But, um, tell him I'll come get it when Yami is done." Yugi said finally. And the very thought of food brought it up once again.  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I jogged into the kitchen. Actually, I had been running. The idea of being alone, even for a few minutes to move around the house, did not appeal to me at all.  
  
" What? Did you run all the way around to ask them?" Ryou asked, turning to face me.  
  
" Didn't want... to leave... you alone... for too long." I gasped.  
  
" Uh-huh. Are you sure you didn't run just cause you didn't want to be alone?" Ryou asked. I hated it when he gave me that look. It made me want to confess to all my most recent crimes.  
  
" No!" I protested. " Anzu and Yugi want some, but like I told you, Yuki and the Pharaoh aren't up to it yet. They both said maybe later."  
  
" What about you?" Ryou asked.  
  
" I'm starved. Give me a double helping." I requested. " By the way, Anzu and Yugi both said they'd come get theirs after the other two are feeling better." I said, sitting down at the table that was situated in the kitchen.  
  
" Would I get sick like Yuki if they... um, you know..." Ryou started to ask, but then got tongue-tied.  
  
" Took me. You can say it, you know. It's not like it curses me or anything." I said.  
  
" Fine. If they took you, would I get sick?" Ryou asked. " And if they get you next, I don't know whether I'd say 'Told you so!' or feel really guilty." He added before I could answer.  
  
" Aw. I feel loved." I said, flashing Ryou a lopsided grin. In reality, I wasn't sure how to respond to him. " I don't know if you would. Yuki has a really strong bond with Himeko and Kaiba both. It's like withdrawal from a drug. I also don't know if we have that kind of bond." I said honestly. Ryou looked at me with the oddest expression. Like I had deprived him of something great. I think I had. I had deprived him of one of the most important bonds in his life. The bond with his yami, the one who created him. " Um, your chicken's burning." I told him, unsure of what else to say. Ryou turned back to the grilling chicken.  
  
" I hope we've got Italian dressing. That's my favorite." Ryou said distantly.  
  
" I know." I told him. He looked at me like he was surprised. " I lived in your head for years. I know something about you." I said. " Look, Ryou. I'm just going to say this, okay? I'm sorry. I was an ass. Actually, I was worse than an ass. I was awful. And I... Well, I'm sorry. I screwed it up for both of us, and I don't blame you if you still hate me, and I won't blame you if you always do. There. I said it." I said, turning my gaze to the far wall. I could feel Ryou staring at me, but he didn't say anything. And I was thankful. It's bad enough if the girl you love broke your heart not once, but twice. The last thing I needed right then was any sort emotional thing from Ryou. And Ryou seemed to know that.  
  
" There. Two helpings of chicken salad. Eat up. You're thin as a rail." Ryou told me, plopping a bowl before me while I was still deep in my thoughts.  
  
" Runs in the blood." I said by way of excuse. " And because of that, you could stand to put on a few pounds yourself."  
  
" I may not be as big as you, but being smaller has its good parts too." Ryou protested. I could not possibly imagine anything good about being the second smallest in the school, possibly the town.  
  
" Like what?" I asked incredulously.  
  
" Like, being harder to notice." Ryou said. " Less likely to hit your head, that kind of thing."  
  
" Whatever." I said, shoveling the food into my mouth. I thought about complimenting him, but then I decided that I'd given him plenty today.  
  
I sat there in silence, chewing absently. I couldn't figure anything out. I wanted to help, but that confused me. I wasn't used to the urge to help people. Even when Isis and I had been together, it was her and me, two separate people. I didn't expect her to butt in on my business, and I wasn't expected to do it to her. I was my own person. Not part of a group. All I had ever needed was me. Isis was certainly something like an addiction. Life was so much easier with her, but I could and would live without her. It was hardly like some people described, like I couldn't live without her. I could. It was hard, but I could do it. So I sat there, trying to figure out when I had changed. A year ago, I wouldn't have tried to have a conversation with Ryou that went past " Do this or that." And Isis? A memory. No more. And the Pharaoh calling me a bastard or something of the like would have been grounds to kill him. Now I only fired some petty insult back and left it there. Now I was actually civil to the kid I had formerly treated as my personal slave and punching bag. And now... I missed Isis. I missed her at night, when I knew she was only fast asleep at her house. I missed her during the torture time, also known as school, when she was in another class. I missed her whenever I couldn't see her. And now, it felt like someone was slowly tearing me limb from limb. And I've seen a man torn limb from limb. It definitely did not look fun.  
  
I looked up when I heard someone walk in. Yuki sort of slid into the room, like she was trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. Anzu walked in just behind her.  
  
" Hey, Yuki. Hungry?" Ryou asked. Yuki turned a little green.  
  
" No, not really. Sorry. It looks, um, really good, though." Yuki said, swallowing hard and looking away from the bowl of chicken salad Ryou showed her.  
  
" Sorry, Yuki, but I'm starving." Anzu said, snatching her own food.  
  
" How are you feeling?" I asked Yuki, surprised once again by my concern for her. But then again, she was willing to give me a second chance when I was down and out and no one else would look at me.  
  
" Well, I'm not having trouble keeping my kidneys inside of me, so I think that's an improvement." She said, giving me a weak smile. I was a little awed by her ability to put on a brave face for the people around her. I had been since I first met her. No matter how bad things got, she never seemed too daunted. I knew, as did everyone else, that inside she must be falling apart, but she never let it show. " Oh..." Yuki moaned suddenly. She made a dash out of the kitchen and ran for the bathroom. Anzu rose to follow her.  
  
" No, I'll go." I volunteered, vaulting out of my chair. I ended up spending the next five minutes sitting nearby as Yuki repeatedly wretched into the toilet. I felt sorry for her, but in the back of my head I couldn't help but wonder how, if she had been hurling since three in the morning, she still had anything to bring up.  
  
" Sorry." She managed to croak to me. I shrugged.  
  
" I sat with Ryou when he was sick. It was my fault, but you get the idea." I said. My fault... I had fed the poor kid bleach. I think he never really did get better from that. I didn't let him go to the doctor, either. Well, aren't I just a saint?  
  
" I think he forgives you." Yuki said, sitting back on her heals and looking at me. She looked pale and sickly, but I couldn't believe what she had said.  
  
" Forgive me? I don't think the even you could forgive me for the things I did to him!" I cried.  
  
" You're his yami. A bond like that is not something to be taken lightly." Yuki told me quietly. " Ryou knows that."  
  
" You have to be the most innocent person I know. You are." I said, still not believing her. But Yuki has a talent for making people see what they need to.  
  
" I'm serious, Bakura. I know what I see. Ryou doesn't hate you. I don't think he ever really did. He put up a front of anger and hate, because that's easier to deal with than anything else. It's easier to hate someone who makes your life miserable than to try to love them and be nice to them. But regardless of how much of a pain in the ass you were, even Yami is willing to see that you're making an honest effort to be better. Ryou is probably the most willing to give you a chance. You screwed up. But I have too. Heck, I've screwed up plenty, and royally too. You've just got to have faith that it'll all work out in the end." Yuki told me. A few months ago, I would have told her to keep her speeches to herself. But now I listened. And you know what? She made a lot of sense. Except for one thing.  
  
" Even now, with your yami and your best friends kidnapped, you can talk to me about faith? About how everything will be okay?" I asked her.  
  
" It's not easy." Yuki admitted. " But if I don't believe that it will, then who will?" she asked. I shrugged. And at that moment, it happened.  
  
Yami! Help! Ryou called me. Soul connection, faster and more urgent than I ever remembered him contacting me. I was on my feet and moving. I think Yuki heard it as well, because she was behind me. I nearly crashed into the Pharaoh and almost tripped over Yugi, but in the end we made it to the kitchen. The door that led outside was ajar, and the bowl Ryou had been keeping the chicken salad in was shattered on the floor, its contents spilled all over.  
  
" Will this never stop?" Yuki moaned.  
  
" They've got Anzu now." Yugi said with a sad sigh. The Pharaoh just looked at me angrily.  
  
" You left Anzu alone?" he asked me angrily. I wheeled on him. I forgot about what Yuki had said. I was too angry and upset to do anything else. I punched him. Just flat out decked him, right across the jaw. I was so sick of him blaming me for everything. Then I grabbed him by the collar of his leather top and brought his face close to mine, ignoring Yuki and Yugi who pleaded with us to stop.  
  
" I. Did. Not. Leave. Anyone. Alone." I said slowly, sounding out each syllable carefully through gritted teeth. The Pharaoh grabbed my collar as well.  
  
" Get your hands off me." He demanded. I let him go, a little surprised I had struck out at him so viciously. I was a worried about what Yuki thought of me now, and what Isis would think when she found out. So I didn't see until it was too late that my former target was not going to take it lying down. I reached up and cupped my mouth and nose in my hands, growing angrier at the feeling of warm blood from my nose where he had punched me. I glared at him.  
  
" You asked for it." I told him, lunging forward. To this day, I thank whatever gods there might be that being a yami gives one lightning quick reflexes. Because at that moment, Yuki leapt in between us. I veered away to the left, barely missing Yuki herself. " Damn it, girl! Get out of my way!" I bellowed at her. I was so sick of that uppity Pharaoh. Always thinking he knew better than everyone else. Always deeming me worthless and not trustable. Well, I had news for him. I was human too.  
  
" Bakura, sit down now." Yuki told me, her voice soothing and calm. I refused to listen.  
  
" Yuki, you sit down. This will be settled now. Either that or the two of us will fight forever." The Pharaoh said softly. We both had always known that someday we would fight it out physically. We were both ready.  
  
" It won't be settled now, because now is not the time it's meant to be settled." Yuki said. The way she was talking, it was hard to disagree with her. Both of us put our fists down. " There's only four of us left. Machiko cannot win. If we start fighting amongst ourselves, then we're just making her job easier. Fight it out later. Not now." I reached up indignantly and wiped the blood away from my face. And the Pharaoh rubbed his left eye tenderly.  
  
" I hope you get a good black eye." I told him, but the anger was pretty much gone.  
  
" And I hope I broke your nose." He told me.  
  
" You didn't." I returned gleefully.  
  
" Knock it off, you two." Yugi barked. I normally wouldn't have paid him any heed, but lights are better at making peace than yami's, I've noticed.  
  
" So. What now?" I asked.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
Have you ever slept so deeply, it's like your body wants to protect your mind from reality? That night, my first night as one of Machiko's prisoners, I slept like that. The fact that Machiko had become quite addicted to my blood was probably a contributing fact. So, sometime during what I assumed to be the daytime, I woke up and raised my head. I was still blindfolded, and tied very firmly to the chair. My arm throbbed and I could feel warm blood on my arm. I moaned.  
  
" Water..." I managed to croak. I had never been so thirsty in my life. I began to hallucinate. I thought I was back in Egypt. I started to cry. " I didn't mean to, Father! I'll be a good daughter, I promise! Please come back! Please!" I begged. In my mind, I was eleven rain seasons old again. I was afraid and alone. My father was dead. And I had a terrible suspicion that his death was not an accident. But I felt like I had somehow failed in my duties to my father, and he was punishing me and Ammon by leaving forever. " Please..." I begged. Bleeding... I was cold.  
  
" Himeko!" someone pleaded with me. I couldn't see. So cold. Something cold and wet hit me in the face.  
  
" Snap out of it, girl!" Machiko snapped. I sputtered. Then I realized what I had said. Thank the gods, I thought to myself, I didn't say anything about being an Egyptian Princess. I felt someone wiping the blood off my arm.  
  
" Himeko, are you okay?" Jou's voice came to me.  
  
" I guess. Sorry about that." I said.  
  
" It's okay." Mai said. I wished I could see.  
  
" Seto? Where are you?" I asked.  
  
" Mmmmm... I'm okay. Little woozy." Seto said.  
  
" Well, don't you guys worry. Kimi, Aiko, and Tori should be back soon with some new friends for you." Machiko told us. " It's their first solo mission. They'd better not bungle it." She added, more to herself than us. I ignored her.  
  
" Honda? Are you okay?" I called. Somewhere near my feet, something made muffled noises and squirmed. " Okay, Honda, I hear you." I told him. He stopped moving around.  
  
" Oh, yeah. I forgot. I'll put you up on the couch so you can sit up." Machiko muttered. There were a lot of shuffling sounds as Honda was moved, and his gag taken off.  
  
" Please... Water..." Honda managed to moan.  
  
" Hurry up and get him some water!" Jou bellowed.  
  
" Shut up! You guys are tempting enough! Should I just hang you upside down and slit your throat?" Machiko asked angrily. She seemed to be walking as she talked. I heard a faucet going. Next to me, Seto started straining against his binds. But we were all silent. The sound of the water was almost too much to bear, but the unspoken agreement between us all was honored. Honda had been gagged all night. He needed it worse than all of us. " Okay, tilt your head up. Feel the glass? Good, here comes the water." Machiko mumbled to Honda. A few long minutes went by.  
  
" Thank you." Honda whispered.  
  
" Now that I'm on nurse duty, who wants water?" Machiko asked. Four voices other than Honda practically leapt at her offer. It must have been a good half hour before we were all watered to a reasonable extent. Plus, Machiko refused to give us anymore. And about five minutes later, Kimi, Tori, and Aiko came back.  
  
" We got two more." Aiko announced. There were sounds of struggle.  
  
" Good job, you got Ryou Bakura! Oh, and Anzu too. Well, two birds in the bag equal four in the bush." Machiko said with a laugh. I thought it wasn't odd that she said that and there were four of our group left free. " Set them up on the new chairs we got, and get Ryou ready. I'm still famished." More sounds of struggle now.  
  
" Don't you ever get full?" I asked, partly to distract her, and partly to reassure Ryou. There was a loud gasp from him, and I assumed his gag was taken off.  
  
" Not of this kind of blood. The blood of someone who cannot know death. Kaiba's blood has amazing potency for a mortal, but it pales compared to yours, Himeko. I'm hoping that, since whatever makes you abnormal makes Ryou and all the others abnormal as well, his blood will have the same restoring effects as yours."  
  
" Ow!" Ryou cried out.  
  
" Hand me a cup, will you?!" Tori asked angrily.  
  
" And, of course, if yours works so well, then Yuki's blood will keep me alive for billions of years!" Machiko told us triumphantly.  
  
" Okay, so why didn't you just explain the situation to us and ask for some of Yuki's blood?" Seto asked.  
  
" First of all, supposing I had asked you, would you have actually given me some?" Machiko asked.  
  
" That would have been Yuki's decision." Seto said evasively. I complimented him mentally for a good answer. Being mortal, he couldn't hear me, but I did all the same.  
  
" In other words, no." Machiko said. " Secondly, just some of Yuki's blood won't do. No, I need all of it. Every ounce she has. First, I hang her upside down and hit her over the head. No pain, you see? Then I slit her throat-"  
  
" For the love of God, shut up!" Honda pleaded hoarsely.  
  
" My arm hurts." Ryou moaned.  
  
" So does mine, Ryou. Just take it." I advised. I tried to form a soul connection with him, but my mental voice seemed to be blocked.  
  
" That's a no-no, Himeko." Machiko told me.  
  
" What?" I asked distantly. I was still concentrating on making a soul connection with Ryou.  
  
" None of that telepathic thing here." Machiko told me.  
  
" You're blocking me!" I cried.  
  
" So that's you!" Ryou cried at the same time.  
  
" Himeko, honestly. I've drunk from your blood. Your very life flows through my veins as it once did yours. I feel the power you have known for so long creeping into me. I can't get enough. Oh, but if you knew! Once, my power was so much greater than your own! So I came to this school, using what little power I had left to search for someone with enough potent blood to keep me alive. And I found her. Surrounded by others with yummy, potent blood. With lots of power. And don't worry, Himeko. I know what you are now, Princess Isis of Egypt. I can see some of your memories, you see. The story's sketchy, but I think I've got the basic idea. Daddy died and your twin brother got made Pharaoh before he'd even hit puberty. Later, bad guy kills your man, and all your friends. You and your bro get revenge, and now here you are." Machiko told me. I gulped.  
  
" You... You've got it all wrong!" Mai protested feebly.  
  
" I don't think I do. You see, your memories confirm it, Mai. So do Honda's and Kaiba's. I'm no mind reader, but this is pretty easy." Machiko said nonchalantly.  
  
" Yuki can kick your ass any day." Seto announced confidently.  
  
" I know." Machiko conceded. That surprised me. " That's why you're here. Yuki has this funny little thing called a conscience. She feels like she owes it to all of you to save you. Can't tell you why, but that's Yuki for you. She's always willing to give whatever it takes to save her loved ones. She'll pay any price to see you all safe. Any price at all, even her own life."  
  
" She wouldn't! My life depends on hers!" I cried. I wasn't really scared of dying. I've done it before. I was just trying to make Machiko doubt her plan.  
  
" But she got that funny quality from you, Himeko." Machiko answered knowingly.  
  
" Go to hell." Honda muttered.  
  
" Why would I do that? The real fun is about to begin." Machiko said. I could hear the sound of a phone being picked up. I swallowed hard. We only had four people left free. Ammon, Tepe, Yugi, and Yuki herself. Yugi would be busy trying to keep Tepe and Ammon from murdering each other, and they would both be busy trying to murder each other. I was counting on Yuki. She knew what she had to do. I was just counting on her figuring out how to do it. The answer, I had to be careful not to even think this, lay in a little golden key that Yuki alone can summon.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
Fear was no longer a problem. Guilt was the problem. I felt so terribly guilty. I felt like I had failed everyone. Like I had let them all down. And I felt like I was still failing them. Like there was a way to make this all go away. I just wasn't thinking of it.  
  
" We don't even know where they are." Bakura protested. His words brought me crashing back to reality from my musings.  
  
" So? We run around town and do a bunch of scans. Sooner or later we'll find them." Yami said.  
  
" If that idea is right, then how come Himeko or Ryou hasn't tried to contact us?" Yugi asked. That shut both the older guys up.  
  
" They're out of range?" Yami suggested.  
  
" There was the time it took for them to get out of range." Yugi countered.  
  
" She's blocking them." I said. They all stared at me.  
  
" How do you know?" Bakura asked.  
  
" Well, don't you think I would have called for help immediately when she grabbed me in school?" I asked. " She muffled me. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before. They could be right down the street and we wouldn't know."  
  
" And for the same reason they can't contact us, we can't contact them or pick them up on scans." Yugi finished for me. I nodded.  
  
" There's got be a way to work around that." Yami said decisively.  
  
" There is." I told him. " I just can't think of it."  
  
" If only someone was strong enough to turn the tables." Bakura said. " Like, I don't know, go back in time and stop all this from happening."  
  
" Nobody should have that power, Bakura. If someone prevented all this from happening, it could have a devastating effect on the future, on things that haven't happened." Yugi said. Their exchange made me think of something someone once said to me.  
  
*+*+*Yuki-Flashback*+*+*  
  
" You could control the very flow of time if you wanted to, Yuki." Himeko said. I looked down at the key in my hands. So much power... No one should ever have to wield it, I decided.  
  
*+*+*Yuki-Present*+*+*  
  
At that exact moment, the phone rang. We all stared at it as an ominous silence fell over the room. The security room was not up and running yet, mostly because one of the bricks had hit a computer terminal and it hadn't been repaired yet.  
  
" Well?" Bakura asked. I sighed and picked up the phone.  
  
" Hello?" I asked dutifully.  
  
" Hey, cutie. How's it going?" Machiko asked. Why had I been expecting it to be her?  
  
" Peachy. We were just deciding what to have for dinner." I said dryly.  
  
" Well, we were think about pizza. Maybe your big brothers would like to join us?" Machiko asked.  
  
" They have previous engagements. Sorry." I returned.  
  
" Well, that's just too bad. Because I really insist that they join us." Machiko said calmly.  
  
" Just try to make them, Machiko. I think you'll find that they've got some bones to pick with you." I told her.  
  
" That's too bad. By the way, did you know that your sister's blood is simply delectable?" Machiko asked. I almost threw up again. Bakura, Yami and I had been experiencing terrible stomach pains and withdrawal symptoms all day. Keeping my lunch down was hard enough without her saying something so revolting.  
  
" Was it really necessary for you to tell me that?" I asked.  
  
" Absolutely. Because, you know, I thought that by now you would have done something. They keep telling me that your powers are so incredible. Well, I'd like to see some of this power." Machiko said.  
  
" You cannot begin to imagine the extent of my abilities, Machiko. You would be wise not to provoke me." I said. I was totally bluffing. I had no idea if I could beat Machiko or not. But I figured it was worth a shot.  
  
" You talk big, but can you put your friends where your mouth is?" Machiko asked. She was right. Was I willing to bet their lives on something I could barely even control? I felt my hands beginning to burn. That's a telltale sign that my power was starting to overload. Sometimes, I build up too much emotional energy for my body to handle properly. It happens to everyone with those kinds of abilities, but it happens to me all the time. Sometimes my body heat will go so high, I'll actually get burned. And then the power just explodes, and I'll destroy everything nearby. I can't control it. The three guys seemed to sense that I was about to blow and started to move away, setting up energy defenses. These "surges," as we've taken to calling them, happen mostly when I become excited or upset. I'm liable to blow up my homework when I get frustrated with it. Then I get more frustrated. You'd be surprised to know how many desks I've gone through. I was so glad right then that Grandpa had taken Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio out of town for the week.  
  
" I will make you disappear." I told her. And now... I knew how to do it. 


	11. Duty of Purity

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Eleven... Duty of Purity  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
I've done a lot of things in my life. I've stood up to a lot of people no one else could, or would. I've never in my life felt the need to accept defeat. Until that day. I was ready to accept defeat. I was ready to walk up to Machiko and say " You win." Yami and Bakura, however, weren't going down without a fight. And Yuki seemed to know how to get Machiko. She just wasn't telling us.  
  
" I cannot believe this!" Yami cried, throwing up his hands and storming to the other side of the Kaiba living room and back. He reminded me of a frustrated tiger in a cage.  
  
" Yuki, if you just explained to us-" I started to say.  
  
" I can't explain it to you!" Yuki cried, as frustrated as Yami. " It's just... You have to trust me, okay? You just have to trust me, no arguments. That's all I'm asking." She said, spreading her hands out before her palm up to emphasize her plea. Bakura gave me a doubtful look.  
  
" You're asking an awful lot from us, Yuki." He said out loud. Yami showed his agreement by nodding enthusiastically.  
  
" You're asking us to trust you blindly, with no clue what to expect? You're asking me to put no only my life, but your life and Yugi's life and Bakura's life, and the lives of everyone I care about into your hands, without telling me what you plan? I don't know if I can do that." Yami said, shaking his head. Yuki turned to Bakura.  
  
" It just seems like too big a risk." Bakura said helplessly. I've seen Yuki get angry twice before. The first time, it was at Nepano. The second time, Yukio ran out into oncoming traffic. Both times were frightening to behold. But this time surpassed them both. She grabbed Bakura by the collar of his shirt and dragged his face close to hers. Her eyes flashed as she held him there, and the whole room went still.  
  
" Do you want to see Ryou and Himeko alive again?" She asked.  
  
" You know I do." Was Bakura's answer, barely a whisper. Yuki released him.  
  
" Then trust me." Yuki said. Her voice was quiet, but I swear it was the most powerful thing I had ever heard her say, and years later, I would tell her that it still ranked at the top.  
  
" I trust you." Bakura conceded. It looked to me like a ton of weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he said it. " But only because I know you would never do anything to hurt us." He added.  
  
" I trust you too." I said. And as I said it, I truly did trust her. I knew it would be okay. All of us turned to Yami, expectant.  
  
" I wish you could tell me what your plan is, but I guess if you really can't, then all I can do is trust you." He said slowly. " So tell us what to do."  
  
" Okay." Yuki said, clapping her hands together. " You're not going to like it, but as my old basketball coach would say, tough cookies. Bakura, as much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to ask you to be the bad guy." Yuki said, giving Bakura a helpless look. Bakura only smiled.  
  
" As we all well know, I can do bad guy." He told us, giving us a malicious glare. He really looked evil, so much so that I even stepped back, closer to Yami and farther from him. Bakura laughed at my reaction.  
  
" You are truly sick." Yami informed him.  
  
" Good thing, too. We both know you couldn't pull it off, Pharaoh." Bakura said evenly.  
  
" That's enough." I said sternly, before Yami could reply. They glared at each other for a second more.  
  
" Pretend you're actors, okay?" Yuki said. " And I'm the director, about to give you the scene. We're going to have to do this sort of ad lib, but I figure you guys can handle it. Bakura, you decided you were downright sick of getting your butt kicked, so you trounced us three and since you caught us by surprise, you beat us. You tied Yami and Yugi up. Yami, your defiant and angry... Well, you're exactly as you would be if Bakura beat you senseless. Yugi, I know you wouldn't normally act like this, but do it anyway. Be pitiful. Pathetic. You want them to think you're totally beaten. Your job is to get Machiko to skip her theatrics and get straight to me. Yami, your job is to reinforce Bakura. Got it?"  
  
" Um, yeah, except for one thing." I said. " What about you?" I asked. Yuki smiled.  
  
" Bakura knew that when he attacked us, he would have to take me out first, to insure his safe passage and the fact that I wouldn't blow this whole place up. So when he gave us the jump, he knocked me out first." She explained.  
  
" And how exactly do you plan to get knocked out? Just lay down and go to sleep?" Yami asked irritably.  
  
" Well, the first time he did it, it didn't hurt, so..." Yuki said, giving Bakura an expectant look and trailing her voice off deliberately.  
  
" Okay, I've had enough of this." Yami said.  
  
" Yami, you said you'd trust me." Yuki said sternly. " Completely, regardless of whatever happens."  
  
" Fine. But I swear on my father's name..." he added, leaving us to use our imaginations about the rest of his threat.  
  
" Anyway, Machiko's little friends will be here soon, so are there any other questions?" Yuki asked.  
  
" What happens when Machiko tries to, um, you know, drink your blood?" Bakura asked, looking uncharacteristically squeamish as he said it.  
  
" If I don't wake up, stall for time. If that doesn't work, forget the act and fight back." Yuki told us. " But that isn't likely." She added, mostly for our reassurance.  
  
" Anything else we should know?" Yami asked sulkily. He didn't like this plan, that was obvious.  
  
" I don't think so. The less you know, the better." Yuki said. " Now, they'll be here soon. Bakura, if you would." Yuki said, turning her back toward Bakura and lifting her hair off the back of her neck. He sighed and pressed a palm to the base of her skull. I felt the jolt with my sixth sense as it coursed through her body. It was minor, only enough to leave her unconscious. She dropped down into Yami's waiting arms.  
  
" Well, we'd better get ready." I said, running off to a nearby supply room where I knew some lengths of rope were kept. Bakura tied Yami and I up. The cords were tight to the point of pain for good image. Then there was a knock on the door.  
  
" Kidnapping vampires that knock on the front door?" Yami asked in disbelief.  
  
" Act defeated." I reminded him. Bakura glanced at us and then at Yuki. He seemed a little nervous.  
  
" Show time." He said, more to himself than us. Then he went to answer the door. " Just the ladies I was hoping to see." He said. It turned out that Bakura was an incredible actor. He was so convincing that I found myself believing him, and I knew he was acting. He led the three girls, Aiko, Tori, and Kimi, into the room and told them in a tone that reminded me of a gleeful child who had just beaten the big boss on his favorite video game how he had taken us prisoner. Now, I'm a terrible liar, and an even worse actor. I was once in a play in elementary school. I crashed and burned. So I decided to keep my mouth shut until it was absolutely necessary for me to open it. In any case, Bakura had the girls practically eating from the palm of his hand. It helped a lot that he seemed to have Yami's charm that just seems to attract girls like flies to carrion. He was making it look really good by adding details that he seemed to be making up off the top of his head.  
  
" How did you knock Yuki out? Machiko says she's the most powerful one." Aiko asked. Bakura stretched his muscles like a content cat and grinned at her winningly.  
  
" She may be powerful, but the thing is, she's still human." He said by way of explanation. The girls seemed to accept it.  
  
" It's a shame we have to treat them like this." Kimi noted, kneeling down before Yami and I. Yami glared at her steadily, and for once, I remembered my part. I squirmed away from her, acting very much like a puppy trying to avoid another beating from his cruel master. What scared me was that I had seen Ryou act like that before.  
  
" They're beaten, and they know it. They've lost their only trump card." Bakura said, grinning and nodding to Yuki.  
  
" Well, Machiko will want her now. I just want to get this over with. I want the immortality, but I don't exactly like how we have to get it." Tori said with a sigh.  
  
" How far is it to wherever Machiko is keeping the others?" Bakura asked. He seemed to me genuinely curious as he picked up Yuki, the biggest of the three "captives." " And what do you mean by immortality?"  
  
" Machiko is like a vampire, but she doesn't sleep at day and the sun won't kill her, and she won't die if you drive a stake through her heart. She says those are all silly wives' tales. Crosses don't worry her either. And she always heals herself if she gets hurt. We even tested it. Kimi stabbed her, in the chest, and she still lived. There wasn't even a mark. But it's getting harder for her to heal herself, and harder for her to stay alive. She says she needs to drink the blood of power and strength, so she used her powers to find someone like that. She found Yuki, and all the rest. She told us that if we helped her, she would share Yuki's blood and perform the right rituals and we would be like her. She said that a sip of Yuki's blood would keep us alive if we were on our deathbed and see us to the turn of the century. A whole cup would keep us alive to the next millennia. She doesn't even know what two cups would do!" Aiko cried, happy to think about. I swear, it took strength I didn't even know I had to keep from throwing up.  
  
" And on top of that, you adopt whatever qualities the person the blood came from had. Like if Yuki really can blow this whole mansion to ashes, then we'll be able to do it to!" Tori added. " And since you helped, I'm sure that Machiko would be willing to share some." She added to Bakura. Bakura had been looking at us. I saw a look of pure disgust cross over his face.  
  
I don't need to drink Yuki's blood to live past my natural life. Sickening creatures. he muttered mentally. Bakura rarely spoke mentally at all. If he had something he wanted to say, he said it out loud.  
  
Even you wouldn't stoop that low. Yami conceded. I kicked him sharply.  
  
" Well, let's go. The place where we're keeping him isn't far away at all. Although it is nice to have some help carrying them." Kimi noted, picking me up. I remembered my part and began squirming and whimpering pathetically.  
  
" Untie my feet, daughters of dogs, and I will walk myself." Yami snarled at Tori and Aiko.  
  
" Shut your mouth. You should know better than to speak to ladies like that." Bakura retorted.  
  
" Turn-coat bastard. Untie my hands and we'll see who is truly strongest in a fair fight." Yami said to him. He was doing a good job. " On second thought, leave my hands tied. How hard could it be to fight a man who hides in shadows?" he asked out loud with a smile. Bakura was truly angered by his remark, and I could tell, but he kept his cool.  
  
" You are hardly one to be talking." He noted, sounding amused with the prospect. Yami did end up being carried. They didn't blindfold us. They said it didn't matter any more. The hideout turned out to be Kaiba's pool house. Boy, did I feel like an idiot. Bakura even said that he did.  
  
I was dumped unceremoniously on the floor next to Ryou, who was blindfolded and sleeping in a chair. On his left, Himeko was also tied down to a chair, her arm tied to her side like Ryou. She appeared to be alert, even though she was blindfolded. Kaiba was next to her, and then Jou, and finally Mai, all in similar conditions. Ryou was the only one asleep. Anzu and Honda were both still tied and blindfolded on the couch opposite to the others. Machiko stepped into the room, grinning as Yami was set down next to me. Yuki was dumped at her feet.  
  
" Finally." Machiko said thankfully, casting her gaze skyward as if saying thanks.  
  
" He helped us." Aiko said, pointing at Bakura. Machiko gave him a analytical look.  
  
" Hmm. You'll be rewarded for your efforts." She told him. Bakura forced a smile.  
  
" What? Who?" Himeko asked. Her voice was tainted with fear.  
  
" Bakura, Himeko. Bakura betrayed us." Yami growled. It was one of the saddest things I had ever seen. I couldn't see her eyes, due to the blindfolded, but her shoulders drooped and she slumped in her chair. I could practically see Bakura's heart breaking as he looked at her.  
  
" Damn you, Bakura! How could you betray the girl who gave you a second chance?" Jou bellowed. Ryou woke up and I swear I though Bakura was going to die in front of us. But he maintained his part, tactfully turned away from Machiko and her friends. I had a full view of him, though, as did Yami. I still had this picture of Yami Bakura, evil, trying to get my Puzzle. That day, I lost that image. That day, I saw the side of Bakura that even he thought was long dead. I saw a man, a man torn between doing his duty and breaking the hearts of those he loved. I don't think I could have condemned him if he had dropped the act that minute and tried to save us all himself. But I do think what he did do was far braver.  
  
" Hold your tongue, mortal, and you might live." He growled. As I said, Yami and I could see his face perfectly. Neither of us was ever able to look at him the same way ever again. I learned to respect him then. But Bakura's job was far from over.  
  
" Tepe, why?" Himeko asked softly. He didn't answer her. He looked at us, anger and despair written over his face. I tried to give him a sympathetic look, but Machiko's eyes were trained on us. Yami nudged me, and I took that as my cue.  
  
" Please, don't kill us!" I wailed. I put every ounce of pleading and pathetic-ness I could muster up behind it. I'm well aware that Yami can't resist it when I put on a cute face. I was praying that Machiko would fall for that same charm.  
  
" Shut up, Yugi!" Yami snarled at me. I ignored him, reminding myself it was just an act.  
  
" No! I don't want to die!" I wailed. Everyone's head was turned toward me. If my friends could have seen me, they wouldn't have believed a word I said. I don't think they did despite the fact that they couldn't see me. That was nothing like anything I would normally say under the circumstances, but Yuki told me to be pathetic. And by God, I was going to be pathetic.  
  
" Don't worry, Yugi. I'm not really after you." Machiko said. " String Yuki up." She ordered her "friends." The next few minutes were some of the most terrifying I ever had to endure. I watched, helpless, as Yuki was hung upside down over a pre-made metal rod. Directly under her head, a small altar with funny markings was set up. Yuki herself stirred slightly and her face scrunched up oddly, as though she were seeing something beyond us in her dreams. I prayed that whatever she saw was pleasant, because the reality awaiting her was hardly nice. Aiko tied Yuki's golden hair in a ponytail behind her head and pulled her crimson and black bangs behind her ears. Kimi handed Machiko a golden bowl. Machiko set the bowl, which was pretty big, under Yuki's head on the altar and pulled a twisted dagger with a golden handle out of it. Machiko ordered all the blindfolds to be undone, and everyone stared on in shocked silence as Machiko muttered in a strange language I didn't recognize, either from my own of Yami's memory. Then, Machiko went to press the blade to Yuki's next. I watched with rapt attention, noticing despairingly that Yuki didn't awaken.  
  
" Wait!" Bakura called suddenly. Every head turned to him, many of them with accusing glares. He shrunk beneath them. " I don't understand what's going on." He said slowly. In my mind, I praised him excessively.  
  
" It doesn't matter. I'll explain it to you after the rites are performed." Machiko said dismissively.  
  
" No, please don't kill her!" I cried out as she went to do it again. She turned to me in annoyance, waving that terrible dagger.  
  
" Would you rather I kill you?" she said angrily.  
  
" Yes!" I cried. I didn't care about the act anymore. In truth, I had forgotten all about it. All I cared about was stalling for time. Anything to stall for time. Wake up, Yuki, I pleaded mentally. She stirred again. " Just don't kill her! She gave us all a second chance, not just Bakura! She fought for Himeko and Yami, she protected me, she stood up for Ryou, she helped Jou and Honda, she encouraged us, she believed in Bakura. And she did all of that when no one else would. She was Kaiba's friend in his darkest moments, and even when all her own problems were smothering her, she still did her best to help the people around her. She deserves to live!" I cried.  
  
" And all that stuff that you just said? That's the reason that she'll keep me alive. It's a dog eat dog world out there, little Yugi, and don't forget it." Machiko said. Then she turned back to Yuki, and prepared to slit her throat.  
  
" Don't!" Kaiba bellowed. She paid him no heed. And then, a miracle happened. Yuki's eyes snapped open. I almost cried with relief. I think I might have. For a split second, I saw the eyes I knew, my own eyes, Yami's eyes, Himeko's eyes. Then, she blinked, and those red-violet eyes flashed golden. I had seen that happen once before. Only once. And that was when she summoned the Key of Ra.  
  
" The moment of judgement has come, Machiko." Yuki said, her voice detached and soft, smiling strangely. Even stranger, considering she was upside down. And all I could think about as a golden glow surrounded her was that it had been Kaiba's voice in the end that had woken her up.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I felt Bakura's energy course through my brain, and vaguely, I felt Yami's arms as I collapsed. But even though I was physically asleep, spiritually, I was a buzzing ball of energy.  
  
Have you ever had an out of body experience? I did that day. I could see Bakura talking to Yami and Yugi as he tied them up, but more frighteningly, I could see my own body propped up against a nearby wall. But strangely, I wasn't too scared at all. It seemed all my guilt and fear had disappeared with my physical consciousness.  
  
I'm not exactly sure how I summoned the Key of Ra. For that matter, I never really have figured out exactly how I ever did it. It always just sort of happened. One second, there was just me. The next, I was gripping the cool gold of the Key in my hands. It felt like seeing an old friend after many years. It felt like when Seto came all the way from Japan, in spite of his busy schedule, to comfort me when Mom died. It felt good.  
  
Himeko once told me that I had the power to bend the flow of time to my will. That was what I wanted to do. I had no clue how to do it, though.  
  
" What does my mistress desire?" a strange, monotone, gender-less voice asked. I started and looked around myself. I was surrounded in a gray cloud.  
  
" Who said that?" I asked. I heard my voice, but I doubt I was really physically talking.  
  
" I did." The voice responded.  
  
" Who are you?" I asked suspiciously. There I was, a girl who had recently shared her head with someone else, suspicious of a voice seemingly coming out of no where. Some things you never get used to.  
  
" Your faithful and humble servant. You have summoned me, mistress. Now I desire the reason why." The voice said coolly. I stared down at the Key in my hands.  
  
" You talk?!" I asked.  
  
" I do." Came to cool, monotone answer.  
  
" How come you never talked before?" I asked, suspicious again.  
  
" I tried, but my mistress could not hear me due to the fact that she was smothering in her own emotions. You are also on a plane where my voice travels easier." The Key responded.  
  
" Well, I'll be damned. Wait'll the others hear about this." I muttered.  
  
" Might I ask why you have summoned me, mistress?" the Key asked tentatively. I started.  
  
" Oh, um, yeah. Could you not call me mistress?" I asked.  
  
" You are my mistress." The Key responded stoutly.  
  
" Okay... Can you, um, bend time?" I asked.  
  
" I can do many things, through you. How should I bend time? Would you like to change the past? Or perhaps only view it? The possible futures are also yours to view." The key suggested.  
  
" Um, I'd like to see the past." I answered.  
  
" Excuse me, mistress, but the answer you give is very broad. Perhaps you could clarify?" the Key prodded gently. I took a breath.  
  
" Yes. I would like to see the past of a girl named Machiko." I said calmly, pushing all my doubts out of my head.  
  
" Yes, mistress." The Key responded.  
  
Things got hazy after that. I saw all of Machiko's past, or most of it. I saw what I needed to see.  
  
" That's enough!" I cried. The images instantly ceased.  
  
" You are disturbed, my mistress?" the Key asked.  
  
" Very disturbed." I agreed.  
  
" I hope it was not of my doing." The Key said.  
  
" No. I feel like I need to wake up now." I said. I could have sworn I'd heard Seto yelling something.  
  
" You would like to return to your natural plane?" the Key asked.  
  
" Yeah, if that would wake me up." I responded. The Key didn't bother to respond. My eyes snapped open. At first, I thought the Key had screwed up and put me in the wrong place or something. As my eyes focused, though, I saw that the world was upside down. Machiko was there, and in the background, I could make out a few of my friends. I felt the power in my veins surge forward. I let loose a blast that made Machiko stumble back. It totally demolished the building we were in, and burned the nearby areas to ashes. My friends were all unharmed, still sitting exactly as they had been. Aiko, Kimi, and Tori were all unconscious. I noted Bakura was standing up, free as a bird.  
  
" Bakura, please untie everyone." I said calmly. I was detached, loose. Like I was floating free. I wasn't quite used to feeling yet, but I was familiar with it. It was the feeling I got when I was in the process of rising to my full potential. Bakura nodded at me, and then went to untie Himeko. I saw their confusion, and I could only imagine what they had gone through. They would tell me later. I directed my attention to Machiko.  
  
" Well, looks like you want to go down fighting, huh, Yuki?" she asked me, waving her twisted dagger in my face. I blinked slowly, trying to keep from spacing out.  
  
" Machiko." I said, sounding out the name like I had never heard it before. " Machiko." I repeated. I set my jaw. " You are not all you say you are. You are a monster that should have never been created. Have you told those girls the truth? The truth about what you would have made them into? I have seen your past, Machiko, and I was not pleased."  
  
" As though you are the one I need to please." She growled back. My eyes lolled lazily in my skull to see most of my friends freed. Bakura and Yami were untying Jou and Honda, and then they would all be free. I forced myself to concentrate on Machiko. I waved the Key of Ra in her face the way she had waved the dagger in mine.  
  
" I am the one to please. Your time has come. No person can live beyond their allotted time. You told yourself that you had passed all of those mortal boundaries, but even gods have their times to be born, to live, to die. The gods of Egypt have gone, as have the gods of Greece, and more gods will come and go before the world meets her end. But the gods of Egypt left their mark on the world. I am a part of that mark. But you are of an earlier mark. A mark that should have never been made. You are of an ancient people, who performed rites they didn't understand and made themselves into monsters. To survive, they drank the blood of their fellow humans. Most of them died out before Alexander the Great. But a few survived. You are one of them. You were the worst of them all. Do you remember, Machiko, the little boy whose skull you bashed in with a rock? Do you remember the pregnant mother you terrified before taking the life of both her and her child? Do you remember the young men you seduced to your bed, then slit their throats as they slept? You have led a life of cruelty, and the time has come for you to pay for all your crimes." I said, still in that slow, detached voice. I could feel the heat beginning to burn at my hands. My pulse was pounding in my temples painfully.  
  
" Shut up! You don't understand!" Machiko yelled.  
  
" You once referred to me as purity. I too am of a breed all but lost to this plane. There are far too few of my kind. We are dying. But we were created for pure reasons, for true purposes. We still have a right to live. Some of us have survived by holing up in darkness. Others have moved from host to host, living however they needed to. Some of us have barely begun our existence on this plane. But we still have a right to live. I have seen you, Machiko. And I was not pleased. Now I judge you." I told her. I had no idea what I was saying. All I knew was instinct. I was doing what the Key of Ra had chosen me to do.  
  
" You have no right!" Machiko screamed, backing away from me. She backed right into Yami and Bakura. They stood solid there, preventing her from bolting.  
  
" You have run from fate long enough, Machiko. It is time for you to pay the price." I said, raising the Key of Ra above my head. Things got weird for me after that. They told me later that I was surrounded by a golden light. Then I lowered the Key so that it pointed to Machiko. The light engulfed her while I apparently called " Golden Judgement!" I have no memory of any of this. The next thing I remember is looking at Machiko, who was still standing. She let out a cry of rage and dove at me, trying to stab me with her dagger through the heart. I don't know how I did, but somehow I stopped time. Everything around me went totally still. I was the only moving thing. The air was stale and... lifeless as I breathed it. Jou had his arms around Mai, and Yami and Bakura were still standing there, blocking Machiko from running away. Honda and Anzu were standing closer to Yugi, Ryou and Himeko. Seto was standing just behind Bakura and Yami. All of their faces were frozen in terror. Machiko was suspended in the air, caught in mid leap. I approached her, knowing instinctively that the only way to be truly be rid of Machiko forever was for her to die by her own hand. I wrenched and twisted her arm until the dagger pointed inward, to her own heart. She wouldn't stab herself, but her momentum would carry her into me and force the dagger into her chest. She could heal herself when others hurt her, but technically, she was hurting herself this time. And this time she would die for sure. I positioned myself in front of her and started time again.  
  
The others told me later that it was like a shimmer of light. For me, it was nearly a whole half hour, and moving a person that's been stopped by time is no easy thing to do. In any case, Machiko plowed right into me, as I had predicted. I hit the ground with the force, but Machiko stumbled back, wrenching the dagger from her chest.  
  
" What have you done?" she asked me shrilly. I smiled at her, still detached from reality. But I had miscalculated, apparently. Because Machiko didn't die right away. Instead, she dove at me again. This time, her arm was positioned to slit my throat. I thank whatever God there may be to this day that Bakura was on the ball, because I know I would have died that day with her if he hadn't been. I saw a flash of white as he dove in and gave Machiko's arm a savage wrench. Instead of slitting my throat, she nicked my cheek from the outer corner of my right eye to my jaw line. I could feel the warm trickle of blood that began to flow down my cheek. With a wild, animal-like scream, Machiko leapt on me. I fought to push her off, but my extended use of the Key had left me weak as a kitten. Yami and Bakura and Seto were the ones that hauled her off, and not before she dragged her tongue up my cheek. But just before Yami pulled her away, she whispered in my ear.  
  
" The blood of purity tastes beautiful." She whispered, licking her lips. She died a moment later, in Yami's arms. He laid her down gently, sighed, and then stood to his full height.  
  
" It's over." He announced. And I fell asleep.  
  
*+*+*Yuki-Two weeks later*+*+*  
  
I smiled at Yukio, Yoshi, and Mokuba as they waited anxiously on the Kaiba Mansion front lawn, each one staring at the street.  
  
" When are they gonna get here, Yuki?" Yukio wailed.  
  
" Soon." I promised. Seto wrapped an arm around my waist and I smiled up at him.  
  
" You really look the part." He told me.  
  
" And what are you for Halloween?" I asked. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a loose jacket with a regular black tee-shirt underneath.  
  
" A normal guy. Out there, huh?" he said. I laughed.  
  
" They're here!" Yoshi and Mokuba called joyfully. I looked up as Yami's red car pulled up to the mansion. Bakura and Himeko were the first to spill out of the car. They had been sitting practically on top of each other in the front seat. Ryou and Yugi tumbled out of the back seat, followed by Anzu.  
  
" Hah! Yuki's an angel!" Ryou cried. Yugi laughed.  
  
" And Himeko's a demon!" he added. Himeko dashed up to me and grabbed my arm.  
  
" We're a pair!" she cried.  
  
" So are we!" Ryou said, grabbing Bakura.  
  
" Lemme guess! I bet you two are the Prince and the Pauper. Ryou's the Pauper and Bakura's the Prince." I said.  
  
" That's a laugh." Yami said. " He's forgetting who's the real royalty around here."  
  
" Of course, Batman." Bakura said with a snicker. Yugi and Yami were Batman and Robin. That was my idea. " Yuki's the royalty." He added.  
  
" That's not what I meant." Yami growled.  
  
" Bakura!" Yoshi, Yukio, and Mokuba all called excitedly, tackling Bakura at the waist.  
  
" Ah! Attack of the munchkins!" he cried in mock fear.  
  
" Tell us a story!" Yukio begged.  
  
" After we get enough candy." Bakura said.  
  
" Oh God. They're going to have so many nightmares." I muttered.  
  
" Oh, it's Halloween. Let them get scared." Seto said, pulling me close to him.  
  
" Yeah! Being scared is fun!" Mokuba cried.  
  
" So long as it's not real danger." Yoshi added knowingly. I smiled sadly. It seemed that my boys knew too much of real danger.  
  
" Where's Jou and the others?" Yugi asked. There was a loud bang as Jou's pile of bolts he called his car rumbled up behind Yami's.  
  
" Right there." I said. Mai hopped out of the front seat, and Jou ran around the car to join her as Anzu and Honda climbed out of the backseat.  
  
" The name's Bond. James Bond." Jou announced, trying to sound mysterious, dressed in a black suit with sunglasses.  
  
" And I'm one of his girlfriends. The one from the Oriental movie." Mai said. She was wearing a bright blue Oriental dress with slits all the way up to the middle of her thigh.  
  
" Anzu, you look cute!" I called. Anzu smiled and approached me.  
  
" I'm a brunette Tinkerbell." She told us.  
  
" Sweet as sugar." Yugi said with a grin.  
  
" What are you, Honda?" Ryou asked curiously.  
  
" Isn't it obvious? I'm Frankenstein's monster." He responded good- naturedly.  
  
" Couldn't even tell you dressed up." Seto said. That resulted in a quick fight.  
  
We went trick or treating after that, and everyone slept over at the mansion that night. There was even a young couple who thought that Seto and I were married and the boys were our sons. That got a lot of laughs. After we got home, Bakura told every scary story he could come up with (and it turned out that he really did his homework for this one) and I even told some from America. Only Seto and Himeko knew them, but I put a few twists in that no one had heard before. The boys did have nightmares, and all three ended up sleeping on the same air mattress as Seto and I. But other than that, everyone had fun. And no one was scared about Machiko.  
  
There's a scar on my right cheek. It comes down from the lower outer corner of my right eye to my jaw line at a slight angle. Seto offered to pay for laser surgery to remove it, but I wouldn't let him. Mai is always after me to wear some make-up to cover it, but I won't. It's a reminder for me. When I see that scar, I remember that there will always be evil in the world. But it's also my way of promising everyone that sees it that I will do everything in my power to rid the world of as much evil as I can, before my allotted time is up. Machiko lived out her time terribly, being cruel and causing innocent people pain. I plan to spend mine doing the opposite. I want to right the wrongs as best I can. And now, I'm pretty sure I can do it.  
  
*+*+*  
  
A/N: Well, that's the end of the Machiko saga. Next saga will concentrate more on the Himeko/Bakura/Nen love triangle, and yes, Nen will be playing a part. It will also have a lot to do with Yuki's past. Please review! Also, I need suggestions. If you guys have got a villain who would just rock Yuki's world, send him/her in! Please! I'm desperate! Or, if you have a suggestion, send that in too! Please! You wanna see more? Send 'em in! Thanks again for reading and please review! 


	12. Heartache of a Thief

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twelve... Heartache of a Thief  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
" Yami! Get out of the bathroom!" Yugi wailed. I bustled by him. " Put a shirt on, Himeko!" he cried, wincing and looking away.  
  
" What?" I asked helplessly. " I can't find my uniform top! Besides, it's just a bra!" I cried, somewhat indignant. That brought Ammon out of the bathroom.  
  
" Put some clothes on!" he bellowed. I gave him a fish eye look.  
  
" Put some clothes on yourself." I returned. He had his uniform jacket and shirt on. He seemed to have forgotten about his pants and was standing there in his boxers. I laughed as he dashed for the bathroom, only to find that Yugi had taken advantage of the distraction to seize the prize.  
  
" Yugi!" Ammon boomed angrily.  
  
" I can't hear you!" Yugi sang from inside the bathroom. I laughed harder.  
  
" YUGI!" Ammon roared.  
  
" I can't hear you!" Yugi repeated, singing cheerfully.  
  
" Well, I can! Stop that, Yami!" Grandpa yelled, walking into the upstairs hall, seeing me collapsed on the floor laughing hysterically in my bra and Ammon standing there, red in the face in his boxers. " Get some clothes on, you two." He said calmly.  
  
" My pants are in there!" Ammon cried helplessly, pointing to the bathroom door. At which point, the door opened and Yugi threw the pants in question at Ammon's face and slammed it again. Which made me laugh harder.  
  
" You're going to be late, and neither of you can have detention today." Grandpa reminded us. Ammon looked up at him from hopping on one foot trying to shove his left leg into his pants while I hunted through a pile of clothes to find my uniform top.  
  
" What?" Ammon asked distantly.  
  
" Tonight you're supposed to go to that ball." Grandpa reminded us. Ammon fell over and I dropped my newly found uniform top.  
  
" I forgot!" we both cried. I pulled the top over my head and fastened the vest. Then I looked at Ammon to see he had become tangled in his own pants. And that threw me into gales of laughter again. Yugi came out of the bathroom, his hair a little damp from his shower, a little later and Ammon bolted for it again. I took advantage of the time waiting on him to do some homework I had failed to do the night before. Yugi fell to flipping between the TV stations, from one morning show to another.  
  
I bit my lip, staring at a particularly tricky question from geometry. Then I closed the book and resolved to do it during my second hour class. Halloween had been a week ago. Everything was running smoothly. Aside from an energy surge on Yuki's part, everything was safe and sound. And Tepe had fallen into his own place in our numbers. He seemed as happy as I remembered him. He even fought with Ammon less, which is always a good thing because it left both of them in a better mood. At that point, Ammon came barreling down the stairs, trying to pull on a pair of socks on the way down.  
  
" Damned modern clothes!" he cried.  
  
" Yami, what have I told you about cursing?" Grandpa cried, exasperated.  
  
" Sorry, Grandpa, gonna be late!" Yami cried, running for the door and tripping in his own attempt to pick up his shoes. " Lecture me later!" he called. " You two have exactly ten seconds to be in the car or you're walking!" he added to Yugi and I. And that, as you might have guessed, resulted in a stampede toward the door. Yugi got into the car before Yami and I both, with five seconds to spare. Yami was next, with three left. He was starting the car when I hopped out of the house on one foot, carrying my other shoe and both Yugi and my own backpacks. I threw it at him through the window of the passenger side, then jumped into the car through the backseat window. Once safely inside and Ammon was driving, I commenced pulling on my other shoe.  
  
" Damn school! Why does it have to start so early?" I asked.  
  
" I dunno." Came the answer from both guys in the front seat.  
  
" Well, you guys are a regular fountain of knowledge." I said sarcastically. Ammon looked at me through the rearview mirror and rolled his eyes.  
  
" Yami! Watch the road!" Yugi yelled, pointing out the windshield.  
  
" Watch it, dumb ass!" Ammon cried at the driver of the car that had almost hit us head on. I hit him over the head.  
  
" You watch it, dumb ass!" I cried. " You were on his side of the road!"  
  
" It's too early to drive." Ammon complained.  
  
" Quit whining and drive." Yugi said, a little tense. He had seen the oncoming car from a very intimate angle.  
  
We made it to school without any other near death experiences. And we continued through the day, all of us playing our parts, pretending to be normal.  
  
" And then the old woman told me to follow the North Star until I could walk no further..." Tepemkau recited to a gathering of adoring girls, all seated around the desk he was sitting on top of. Tepe was an instant hit with the girls, as was Ammon. They adored Tepe's storytelling abilities, and Ammon just emitted an attractive air that Yuki and I are immune to.  
  
" Alright, clear off, ladies!" I cried, plowing in. I wasn't really jealous. Tepe just liked the attention. Not the actual girls.  
  
" Awe, share the wealth, Himeko!" a girl named Miki cried indignantly.  
  
" Sorry ladies, we all know that my heart belongs to Himeko alone. Her wish is my command." Tepe said, bowing to me. I laughed. " Clear off! I'll tell you what happens next later." He said, making a shooing motion with his hand.  
  
" So, what was it this time?" I asked, seating myself next to him after all the girls had gone. It was a free day in history class.  
  
" Something I was making up as I went along." Tepe said, laughing. I laughed as well. I looked across the room to where Jou and Yugi were teaching Yuki how to play Duel Monsters. Ammon was supervising, and trying to keep himself out of the death grips of his adoring fans. It looked like Yuki was kicking Jou's butt. " She's something else, isn't she?" Tepe said suddenly. " Did she live up to your expectations?"  
  
" I'd like to say yes. But the truth is, she surpassed them all." I answered. " What about Ryou?" I asked. Ryou wasn't in this class with us. He had English that hour.  
  
" It's hard to say. We're both still learning." Tepe said, looking away. " Hey, here comes Kaiba. Wonder what he wants." Tepe noted. I looked in the direction that he was and saw Seto approaching us. Seto and Tepe pretty much ignored each other. They had no reason to hate each other and no reason to like each other. It seemed their only tie was Yuki and I.  
  
" Himeko, can I speak with you?" Seto asked. I nodded.  
  
" I'm not going anywhere." Tepe protested softly.  
  
" Don't, then." Seto advised. " Have you noticed that Yuki's been acting strangely lately?"  
  
" No, actually, I haven't." I said.  
  
" What kind of big sister are you?" Tepe asked me good-naturedly.  
  
" What's wrong with her?" I asked Seto. He frowned.  
  
" She's always sleepy and pale lately. She doesn't eat much at all. Watch her at lunch, you'll see what I mean. I caught her last night coughing so hard I thought she was going to cough up a lung." He explained. I looked back at Yuki.  
  
" Now that I think about it, she does look a little pale." Tepe noted.  
  
" I tried to see if she was running a fever, but she wouldn't let me. She keeps insisting she's fine." Seto added.  
  
" That's just Yuki for you." I said with a sigh. " Well, it's not surprising. You may not know, but her health has been in a delicate state since Egypt. Remember when she got so sick about a month after we got back? It's probably the same thing." I said. " I really need to crack down on her training." I muttered to myself.  
  
" So, she'll be okay?" Seto asked.  
  
" You're cute when you worry about her." I noted, pinching his cheek. " Yeah, she'll be fine. Nothing to worry about."  
  
" Thanks." He said, turning and making his way to Yuki and the other guys. He laughed at something Yuki told him as she laid down another card. Judging by Jou's expression, she had just clinched her victory.  
  
" Am I cute when I worry?" Tepe asked me. I turned my gaze back to him. His intense brown eyes bored into my own, but I was used to the intensity of his gaze. His long, thin body was stretched near my own form, and his broadening shoulders were accented by the uniform.  
  
" You're cute all the time." I told him. He smiled.  
  
" Cuter than Kaiba?" he prodded. I knew what he was getting at. He was still trying to prove to me he was better than Nen, and he was using to Seto to do it. Fortunately, the bell rang before I could answer.  
  
" See you at lunch!" I called, snagging my books and running for the door.  
  
" Is- Himeko!" Tepe called after me in anger, almost calling me by my old name. I sighed as I reached my desk in my next class. I sank into it, grateful that only Yugi was in this class with me. I knew Tepe meant well, but that question had put me on the spot.  
  
" Stupid." I muttered to myself. In the desk next to me, Yugi looked at me oddly.  
  
" Didn't finish your homework?" he asked. I looked up, startled by his voice.  
  
" Oh, um, no." I said sheepishly. " I really meant to do it second hour." I rushed on to explain.  
  
" You've got about five minutes before she picks it up." Yugi said pointing at the clock. I scrambled to pull out my paper and began doing what I could. To anyone else, this scene might have been funny. A former Princess of the most powerful empire in the world at the mercy of some geometry teacher. Fate, I cried out mentally, how thou mock me! That was mostly for amusement as I flipped the page in my geometry homework, Tepe forgotten for the moment.  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I can speak English. I know English. Ryou knows English, so therefore, I know English. I did not, do not, and will not ever see the reason they made me take the English class. By "they," I do not mean the group I tended to be around. I mean the school. Ryou told me it was a necessity and we just had to bear it. Thus, you can imagine my extreme displeasure when the teacher asked me to list three past tense action verbs. I searched Ryou's memory. Some of you might call that cheating. To those of you that do, I dare you to say it to my face. You won't be saying much of anything afterward, except maybe " Ow!" To explain this, imagine this; you find yourself thousands and thousands of years in the future. Note that you are not in your own body, but in someone else's that resembles yours. All you have to go off of is that someone else's memories and past experiences. Natural conclusion; use that to teach yourself how to deal with the unfamiliar situations that may arise. What did I teach myself? Always side with caution. If that fails, refer to Ryou's memory. If that fails, which it rarely does, follow your instincts.  
  
So that is how I found myself cruising through Ryou's memory, which is forever embedded in my own, trying to come up with three action verbs. It was taking a lot longer than I thought it would.  
  
" Mr. Bakura. We're waiting." The teacher said, frowning at me. I looked at her blankly. " Well, class, this is what happens when you don't study-" she was starting when I interrupted her.  
  
" Obliterated, conquered, and empowered." I said. I chose more complicated words to prove my point.  
  
" Oh, well, my apologies." The teacher said. Then, she managed to translate what I had actually said. " Are you bilingual?" she asked. I nodded.  
  
" Ryou Bakura is my cousin. And I speak other languages as well." I said by way of explanation. Everyone knew Ryou spoke English fluently. " And by the way, you need to work on your accent." I added in English. It took her a few minutes to figure that out.  
  
" I'll work on that." She said uncertainly. I smiled. If there's one thing I like more than a newly earned Millennium Item, it's showing up someone who thinks they're better than me. And unlike the Millennium Item thing, that's something I get to do often. The students around me were awed.  
  
I ended up paying for showing off like that. I became the new authority on English, and spent the rest of the hour plagued with translation questions. Now I knew why Ryou refused to give me answers. I resolved never to ask him for answers again. Help, maybe. Answers, no. After English class, I was all too ready to bolt for the courtyard. I live with Ryou Bakura. I get to skip the lunch line all together. So naturally, Ryou and I were the first to the table we all usually sit at. There's something cozy about knowing there's a spot saved for you with people who trust you.  
  
" Free day in history. What a drag." Ryou muttered, sitting down next to me. " I was looking forward to the next chapter, too." I stared at him.  
  
" I'm sorry, but I've begun to view those free days as a blessing." I said.  
  
" Hey." Yuki said, plopping down on the bench opposite us. I noted she had no food.  
  
" Aren't you going to eat, Yuki?" I asked. Yuki smiled at me.  
  
" Seto has my lunch in his briefcase." She said in explanation. She held up a book, written in English. The title read "An Acceptable Time." I could not understand that girl's fascination with books.  
  
" Isn't that by the author who wrote 'A Wrinkle In Time?'" Ryou asked.  
  
" Yeah. It's good. You yami's ought to read it." She said.  
  
" I know what an acceptable time is. One, lunch. Two, my original time." I said, shrugging. I dug into the sandwich Ryou offered.  
  
" Stuff that into your face any harder and it might get stuck that way." Mai told me as she, Jou, and the Pharaoh walked up.  
  
" Wouldn't that be a shame? Your face would be uglier than it already is." The Pharaoh said with a smirk. I smirked back at him.  
  
" Yeah, and it might actually match up to yours." I shot back.  
  
" Oh, ha ha. Aren't you hilarious?" he said with no conviction. Ryou rolled his eyes and I caught Yugi approaching with Honda and Anzu out of the corner of my eye.  
  
" Are they still going at it?" Anzu asked in exasperation.  
  
" I don't think they'll ever stop." Ryou answered. Yugi sighed as they all took their seats.  
  
" Sure we will. We'll stop fighting when he inevitably admits that I am right in all areas of life." I said confidently.  
  
" Actually, we'll stop fighting when he admits that I'm right." The Pharaoh was quick to correct me.  
  
" I'm right!" I insisted.  
  
" That's a laugh!" he cried.  
  
" Not as much as the prospect of you being right!" I shot back.  
  
" Clash of the egotistical titans." Yugi noted.  
  
" You're both wrong because you're just typical men and any woman with half a brain knows that no typical man is ever right." Mai said easily. Every guy at the table stared at her while Yuki and Anzu laughed loudly. Isis had arrived just in time to hear that last remark on Mai's part and joined them, sitting down beside me.  
  
" So I must not be a typical man?" Kaiba said, smiling at Mai. He had apparently just arrived as well.  
  
" No, you're a typical man." Yuki said quickly. Everyone laughed.  
  
" Then I suppose you don't really want your lunch." Kaiba noted, shrugging.  
  
" Okay, you're not a typical man!" Yuki cried, lunging for the briefcase as Kaiba sat down.  
  
" I still say I'm right!" I cried. Everyone laughed again, even the Pharaoh and I.  
  
" Actually, Mai, they just might be right." Isis said. Everyone turned to her silently. " Think about it like this. There's not a man at this table, so one of them might be right." She said, grinning.  
  
" Hey!"  
  
" That's not fair!"  
  
" That's was just plain mean!"  
  
" What did I ever do to you?" Were just a few of the cries of protest sounded by every male at the table. The girls just cheered at Isis's reasoning. After we had all calmed down to a reasonable level and started eating, a discussion I had been hoping to avoid came up.  
  
" So, is everyone ready for the ball tonight?" Yuki asked. I groaned verbally and Ryou kicked me in the knee under the table.  
  
" What was that for?" I asked him sharply. He kicked me again.  
  
" What was what for?" he asked innocently. At that point, I caught on.  
  
" I've got to pick up my gown from the dry cleaners. Yami." Isis said, looking pointedly at her brother as she said his name.  
  
" Alright, alright. Taxi Service Yami, how man I help you?" he returned dully.  
  
" You can drive me to the tuxedo rental." Jou offered.  
  
" Oh, God." Kaiba moaned. " You've had three weeks to get ready, and the afternoon of, you still don't have your tux?"  
  
" And you've got your own car. Drive yourself." The Pharaoh added.  
  
" What can I say? I'm a lazy bum." Jou said, smiling. " Besides, I don't have any money to fill my gas tank."  
  
" If I have anything to say about it, you'll clean up pretty well." Mai said, pinching Jou's cheek.  
  
" Is this going to be as bad as I think it's going to be?" Yami asked Kaiba. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for the answer.  
  
" No, of course not." Kaiba said. I breathed a sigh of relief... Two seconds too soon. " It'll be much worse." Kaiba added.  
  
" I hate you right now." I informed him. Ryou kicked me again.  
  
" Could possibly stop kicking me!" I asked loudly. Everyone laughed, even though I had been dead serious.  
  
*+*+*Later*+*+*  
  
" Just think of it as a valuable cultural experience." Ryou suggested. We were at the Kaiba mansion, and I was struggling to figure out how to tie the stupid little bow. And just then, the girls came in.  
  
" Hey, guys. How's it going?" Mai asked. She was wearing a red dress that clung close to her body, with an Oriental top that had gold embroidery and no sleeves. She even had a fan to complete the look.  
  
" Wow. This is one of those cases where guys do take longer than girls." Anzu noted. I made a face at her. She was wearing a formal light pink dress, complete with the spread bottom. She had light pink earrings as well.  
  
" Oh, ha ha. That was so funny, Anzu." Jou said unconvincingly. After Anzu, Isis stepped into the room. She took my breath away. She was wearing black, as usual, a long skirt that, like Mai's, clung close to her form and had slits that went clear up to her thighs. Her top was black as well, and tied around the back of her neck, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. I must have looked like the biggest idiot ever, standing there with that awful formal outfit not completely done up correctly, staring at her like she was an angel descended from heaven. An angel in black. And if Isis didn't quite make angel, then Yuki did. She was wearing a white dress that wasn't quite spread-bottom or close to the body. It was somewhere in between. It had small strings to serve as sleeves. I've been told that they're called spaghetti straps.  
  
" You guys look great." Ryou noted. Mai giggled and Anzu blushed a little.  
  
" Thank you, Ryou." Yuki said, smiling at him genuinely. I almost burst out laughing when I noticed Ryou blushing ever so slightly. I nudged him in the ribs and winked, which made him blush more. Kaiba walked into the room, looking utterly immaculate.  
  
" That is so not fair!" Honda cried when he saw Kaiba.  
  
" What?" Kaiba asked, utterly confused. " Why aren't you ready yet? We're leaving in fifteen minutes."  
  
" How can you get all this stuff on so fast? I can't even tie the stupid bow!" the Pharaoh cried. Yugi nodded vehemently.  
  
" Lots of practice." Kaiba informed us. Isis grabbed my shoulder and spun me so that I faced her.  
  
" It's not that hard." She informed me, tying the little bow for me. I was glad I don't blush easily. Yuki was making rounds tying everyone's bow for them. We were barely ready for the limo when it arrived.  
  
The ball itself was exactly as Kaiba and Yuki told us it would be. Long and boring. And after a while, the girls started complaining that their feet hurt because of their fancy shoes. I thought it was their own fault for wearing the shoes, but Mai and Isis informed me that they didn't exactly get a choice in the matter. Just like that stupid bow tie, which kept making me feel like I was choking. I had to wear it. So we blew that place early. Kaiba said we all had to get our rest and we all had a lot of homework. He had to remind all the old people that kept trying to tell us their life stories that we were still in high school and we all needed our rest. He lies almost as well as I do. Even after getting away early, we still got back to the mansion at about eleven. After that, it was a mad scramble to get out of the uncomfortable clothes. Kaiba and Yuki went immediately to call Grandpa Motou, as I had taken to calling him, to check on the boys he was watching. I happened to walk into the room where they were during that conversation.  
  
" Yeah, we had a good time... Really? I'm so proud of you, Yukio... Yukio brought home a gold star today, Seto!" Yuki informed Kaiba excitedly after conversing with the littlest one over the phone. I always got a little jealous, watching them and their happy family. I knew as well as anyone that they had more than their share of problems, but I still got jealous. I had a brother, once. He wasn't nearly as great a big brother as Kaiba is, or the Pharaoh or even Yugi. He actually made my childhood pretty miserable. He hated me. I was a threat to his inheritance of our father's chief-hood. As soon as he took over the tribe, he had me banished. I was about twelve cycles old when that happened. Just twelve, out in the world on my own. It was a miracle I survived. My brother was a power-mad, shadow of a man. Looking back now, I know I had become him. I was as terrible to Ryou as my brother was to me. And that scared me. The last thing I wanted was to be like him. Never, I promised myself, walking out of the room.  
  
I found my way to the kitchen, where Mai and Jou were talking about something that had happened in school. They were standing really close together. I ignored them, swallowed my jealousy for a second time in the last five minutes and looked out the window. I could see someone sitting out there on the patio. I looked closer and saw it was Isis. I then went out to join her.  
  
" Hi." I greeted. She looked up at me and smiled. She looked exactly as she had looked all those years ago, sitting on the banks of the Nile in the moonlight. She was dressed differently, but she was still Isis.  
  
" Hey." She responded, turning her gaze back to the moon as I sat down beside her.  
  
" It's pretty tonight, isn't it?" I asked. She nodded. " Do you hate me too?" I asked suddenly. I have this bad habit of just saying whatever pops into my head. I've tried to kick it, but it never works. The only time I seem to be able to keep my thoughts to myself is when I'm dueling. Isis looked at me sharply.  
  
" No! Why would I hate you?" she asked.  
  
" Because it just seems like everyone has a good reason to." I muttered.  
  
" I have no reason to hate you." Isis declared.  
  
" Really?" I asked her seriously, giving her a withering look. " You do so. You could hate me for leaving you. You could hate me for turning into the monster I am."  
  
" I don't hate you." Isis said solidly.  
  
" Then why won't you just laugh the way you used to?" I asked her, feeling my face heat up. I don't blush, but I do get hot when I'm frustrated or embarrassed.  
  
" I told you, Tepe. I'm not the person I used to be. I've changed." She told me softly.  
  
" I don't see another person. I see the girl I fell in love with beside the Nile. I hear her voice, I see her eyes." I said, reaching over and grabbing her hand. " I feel her skin. I'd like to taste her lips again." I added. Isis stared at me.  
  
" I think I've forgotten how to love you." She whispered.  
  
" Then let me remind you." I begged, inching a little closer. I needed her. I had forgotten how she made me feel. She was like the air I need to breathe. Without it, without her, I'll die. Isis let me kiss her lightly on the lips. But when I tried to pursue it, she pulled away.  
  
" I can't forget him." She confessed. I felt rage rise up in my chest.  
  
" He's gone. I'm here. It's that simple." I said through gritted teeth.  
  
" I wish it was that simple, Tepe." Isis said, standing up. I looked up at her. She pressed a hand to my cheek. " We've both changed, Tepe. You and I have seen more than we'd like to admit. And it just doesn't feel right to me right now." I placed my hand over hers.  
  
" It feels right to me." I told her.  
  
" It takes two to love." Isis reminded me.  
  
" And you don't know." I added sadly.  
  
" I don't hate you." Isis hurried to say. " I love you. I just don't know if I love you in that way anymore." She said. Then she went inside. It was a chilly fall night, but I didn't go in. Ryou griped me out the next morning, but I didn't care. I slept outside under the moon, dreaming of days gone by when Isis still loved me, and days not yet come when maybe she would love me again.  
  
A/N: Okay, that was pretty pointless. v_v Anyway, I promise things will get better. Must find sugar so I can write... (goes off in search of said sugar) 


	13. Falling Apart

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Thirteen... Falling Apart  
  
A/N: Hey, all. First off, I want to thank all the wonderful reviewers that I haven't been able to e-mail personally and thank. If you guys leave your e-mail addresses, it's my practice to thank each one of you personally. But since some of you don't, I have to thank you like this. Anyway, someone attempts suicide in this part, so if you're offended by that, don't read it. ^_^ Arigato and sayonara!  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
I looked outside the door to my room, checking the hallway. I decided that no one was nearby and turned back into my room, closing and locking the door behind me. I knew Yugi was at Anzu's house, and Ammon had called to me ten minutes ago to inform me that he was going for a drive around town. Grandpa was at the shop, but I still checked around. A nervous habit. I hummed to myself to warm up my voice.  
  
I love to sing. I sung all sorts of songs since my early childhood. I've been singing since before I can remember. I never sang in front of anyone, except for Ammon, once. And he had told me I had a beautiful voice. I never even sang for Nen. I cleared my throat and sang an old Egyptian lullaby to myself, to help warm up. Finally, I stood there in my room, shifting from foot to foot, trying to decide what to sing. I finally settled on an American song called "Reflection." I took a deep breath and glanced around myself one last time. I knew once I started, I would leave this world behind until the end of the song.  
  
" Look at me. You may think you see who I really am, But you'll never know me. Ev'ry day, it's as if I play a part. Now I see, That if I wear a mask I can fool the world, But I cannot fool my heart.  
  
Who is that girl I see Staring straight back at me? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?  
  
I am now... In a world where I have to hide my heart. And what I believe in. But somehow... I will show the world who I am really am, What's inside my heart, And be loved for who I am.  
  
Who is that girl I see, Staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Must I pretend that I'm someone else for all time? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?  
  
There's a heart that must be free to fly, That burns with the need to know the reason why Why must we all conceal what we think, How we feel? Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide?  
  
I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time. When will my reflection show Who I am inside?  
  
When will my reflection show Who I am inside..."  
  
I sighed. And then, I heard the sound of someone clearing their voice. I wheeled around to see a young man, about my age, with chin length black hair tucked behind his ears and vibrant green eyes. He was wearing a black tee-shirt and a black pair of extremely baggy jeans.  
  
" Who are you?!" I shrilled, hurling a book I snatched off my desk in his direction. He ducked out of the way.  
  
" My name's Zack! I'm looking for Yuki Motou!" he cried as I threw my hairbrush.  
  
" Who gave you the right to just come barging in?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.  
  
" The door was unlocked and no one answered when I knocked! I could hear you singing, so I-" he tried to explain, but I cut him off.  
  
" So you just came right on in and thought you'd scare me to death!" I screeched.  
  
" I didn't mean to! I just want to talk to Yuki!" the guy cried helplessly. I stopped throwing things at him.  
  
" What do you want with Yuki?" I asked suspiciously.  
  
" What does it matter to you?" he asked haughtily in return.  
  
" She's my little sister." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. He stared at me like I was crazy.  
  
" Yuki doesn't have a big sister." He said in disbelief.  
  
" Look, buddy, I don't have a clue who you are, but I guarantee that Yuki Motou is my little sister." I said crossly.  
  
" Looks like she had more than a name change." The guy muttered, looking down at a slip of paper. " Look, I just want to talk to her, okay?"  
  
" Why?" I asked.  
  
" Is that any of your business?" he shot back.  
  
" You can bet your scrawny ass it is, and when my big brother gets back, he's going to flame broil that ass of yours." I said, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
" Another brother, too?!" the guy asked.  
  
" And then you get to deal with my little brother, Yugi. He's pretty protective too." I added gleefully.  
  
" Can I please talk to Yuki?" the guy begged.  
  
" She doesn't live here." I said.  
  
" What? But this is the only address for 'Motou' the phone book had." He protested.  
  
" She doesn't live with us. She lives with her best friend." I said.  
  
" Can you tell me where that is?" he asked, his shoulders sagging visibly.  
  
" Why should I?" I asked. He looked up at me sharply.  
  
" Because I haven't seen her in like seven months and I'm worried about her!" he cried.  
  
" Oh, you must be one of her old friends from America." I said softly. " Sorry." Now, cruising through Yuki's memory, I could recall his face. Zack, that was his name.  
  
" Whatever. Can you just please tell me where Yuki is?" he asked desperately.  
  
" Hey, Himeko! I brought you those books you wanted to borrow!" Yuki called from down stairs. Zack's already pale face paled considerably more.  
  
" Okay! There's someone up here who wants to see you!" I called back, tromping down the stairs. Zack stayed behind, frozen.  
  
" Really? Who?" Yuki asked as I met her at the bottom of the stairs. She handed me a bag, which I gently set down next to the stairs.  
  
" Come on up and see." I said enticingly. Yuki shrugged and lead the way up the stairs. She gasped just as she got to the top.  
  
" Oh my God! Zack!" she squealed in delight, running over and leaping into his arms. I grinned at him over her shoulder. I could remember Yuki used to have a crush on this guy.  
  
" Yuki! You haven't changed at all!" Zack cried.  
  
" When'd you get here? How's everyone back home? Tell me!" Yuki cried, hopping up and down like she only did when she was uncontrollably excited. I was a little worried she might forget herself and have a power surge.  
  
" I got here just this morning." Zack said, settling his hands on Yuki's shoulders, trying to get her to be still. Yuki grinned up at him like an idiot. " And everyone is just fine. Sarah and Kristina want me to tell you they miss you a bunch, and that they hope you're not too homesick. And then, Beth and Aaron and BJ and Benji and Jessica and Cody and all the rest also want me to tell you that they miss you."  
  
" That's not enough! You've got to tell me everything!" Yuki cried, hugging him tightly. " Did Matt get valedictorian, or did Ashley?"  
  
" They finally called it a draw and they both got it." Matt explained. " They gave a great speech at their graduation ceremony, too! I was sad to see them go."  
  
" Maybe you two would like to get more comfortable rather than stand there in the hallway." I interrupted.  
  
" Oh, okay." Yuki said, grinning at me happily. I was glad to see her like this. Seto had been right, she had been acting pale and sickly lately. This might be just what the doctor ordered, I thought. It was easy for me to follow their conversation because I could see all the people they were talking about from Yuki's memory.  
  
" And Lauren got the female lead in a real play at a real theatre. It was Hamlet, no less!" Zak explained. Yuki squealed.  
  
" You mean she was Ophelia?" she asked. " Oh, I know she must have done that part great!"  
  
" She did. I brought a video tape of the performance." Zak said. " And let's see..." They went on like that until Ammon came home. Ammon was slightly suspicious, but both Yuki and I assured him that Zack was just a visiting friend. I got sick of listening to them after a while and left the house. Ammon couldn't have cared less one way or the other, so I just started walking around. I like to walk. Cars are fine, but you can explore more on foot. I started humming to myself as I walked. I found myself cruising through the mall, looking at odds and ends.  
  
I saw a painting in an art gallery of a young couple sitting on the banks of a river. They looked so happy. I could remember being that happy. I looked away from the picture sharply. Sharp anger rose in my throat. I can't believe this, I thought to myself, am I actually jealous of Yuki? Yes, I was. She was sweet and gentle. She had those big, adorable eyes. She was carefree and happy. There was nothing holding her back. She didn't have the guilt of broken promises on her heart. I know she had plenty of problems to make up for all that, but still... I missed being like her. Tepe had made me so happy, but Nen also did. But as Tepe had said, Nen was gone and he was here. But I hadn't forgotten...  
  
*+*+*Himeko Flashback*+*+*  
  
I watched Yuki and Yugi retreat into the dark void that had appeared behind them. Ammon's hand on my shoulder as all that kept me from running after her. She was my light, my other half. Didn't I need her to survive? She could survive without me, I knew that, but could I survive without her? Ammon took his hand off my shoulder after the void disappeared and took my hand.  
  
" It's time for us to go." He said. He pulled me into a waiting light that had appeared without my knowing it...  
  
The next thing I knew, I was standing in a world that was void of all unhappiness and all pain. And standing there, waiting for me, was everyone I had known. There was my father, my mother, and all their ancestors that had come before them. There was Nuru and Eshe and Tenok and Mariah... and Nen. Ammon and I ran at them. I screamed with joy as Nen gathered me up in his arms and held me close.  
  
" You seem sad." I said to him what seemed like only seconds later, but it might have been hours or days or months or even years. Time doesn't pass like it does here in that place.  
  
" Sadness is not something I am used to feeling here." Nen said slowly.  
  
" How can you possibly be sad?" I asked, leaning against his shoulder as we sat at the foot of a huge tree I had no name for. Instead of leaves, it was covered in beautiful dark blue blossoms that smelled sweeter than anything you could find on the mortal plane.  
  
" Because I know you have not come to stay." Nen said. I sat up suddenly, feeling guilty.  
  
" She needs me, Nen." I murmured. He didn't need to ask who.  
  
" You haven't found everything you were hoping to find here, have you? You were looking for That Boy." Nen said, snarling a little at his slur of a name for Tepe.  
  
" Yes, Nen, I was." I admitted. " And I didn't find him."  
  
" I don't think he would have been allowed on this plane." Nen growled.  
  
" You keep acting like this and you'll no longer be allowed on this plane! Nen, regardless of him, I have to go back. Yuki is my light, my... my daughter. I need her and she needs me." I explained. Nen sighed.  
  
" Then you should go." He said softly.  
  
*+*+*Present*+*+*  
  
I shook my head. I could have stayed in that paradise. But Yuki needed me. She still needed me. And Tepe... I had thought he was dead. I could almost taste the salt of the tears I had cried when I had been shown his body. But that hadn't been his body. Then whose was it? So many shadows surrounding my past... There were still so many things I couldn't remember. I put my hands to my head, which was beginning to pound. Why couldn't I remember? There was something I was supposed to remember, but I couldn't quite get it... I all but ran out of the art gallery, searching for a food court booth that sold ice cream. By Ra, I needed sugar.  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I was beginning to wonder about the purpose of my existence on this plane. Morning found me, not for the first time, shirtless on the couch trying to find the energy and motivation to feed myself. And instead of griping at me to get off my lazy butt, Ryou was concerned. I marveled at his ability to do that. Here I was, his tormenter, the one who had made his life a living hell, and he was actually concerned about me? I would have laughed if I weren't so busy trying to keep from crying.  
  
I could not figure out what I hated more. This weakness I felt inside me, or the fact that as far as I could see, I had no purpose aside from causing people pain. I finally decided it was the latter. No one was benefiting from my presence. Possibly the Pharaoh, but that was only because I was something for him to vent his anger on and a source of humor. That was not exactly a fulfilling niche.  
  
" Are you okay?" Ryou asked, leaning over me. " It's almost two in the afternoon and you haven't even asked me what's for lunch."  
  
" Do I look okay?" I asked him in return.  
  
" Not really. You look like something the cat dragged in, after dragging it through the mud and then using it as a scratching post." Ryou said.  
  
" Thank you for that bit of optimism. I feel so much better." I said sarcastically, then rolled over so I couldn't see him. Unfortunately, I could still hear him.  
  
" What's the matter?" he asked.  
  
" Since when did you decide you wanted to be my therapist after all?" I asked irritably.  
  
" You're my yami. We're supposed to be friends. I'm trying to be your friend." Ryou explained patiently, leaning over the back of the couch. I looked up at him.  
  
" Why do I feel like I should tell you?" I asked out loud. Me and my big mouth again.  
  
" We're both getting better." Ryou said, grinning. I heaved a sigh.  
  
" Just go throw the Ring in the trash and end my misery. Please. I'm begging you." I muttered.  
  
" If you wanna commit suicide, then do it yourself. I'm not going to be your accessory." Ryou told me good-naturedly. I rose to my feet and made my way into the kitchen. " Hey, you're finally going to eat?" Ryou asked hopefully. I shook my head and opened a door, pulling out a long knife. It was one of those super-sharp knives you buy to cut things like frozen steak or whatever. " Whoa, what are you doing?" Ryou asked, walking into the kitchen.  
  
" Doing it myself." I said, flashing him a rueful grin. " Sorry I was such a jackass. I won't bug you any more." I promised. The next few minutes consisted of a lot of yelling, one serious scuffle for a very sharp object, and a lot of cuts on both our parts. " What the hell do you think you're doing?" I snarled at Ryou. He only gritted his teeth, curled into a ball, pressed his feet against my chest, and pushed as hard as he could. I lost my grip in the half of the knife handle I had as a result, and was scooted across the kitchen floor. I sat up, gasping and staring at Ryou, who did the same and stared back, the knife clenched tightly in his fist. " What the hell did you just do?" I asked again.  
  
" Saved your dumb life. Not like you deserve it." Ryou gasped.  
  
" Exactly!" I cried, exasperated. " I'm so glad we're in agreement. Can I have the knife back now?" I asked.  
  
" Hell no!" Ryou cried, scooting himself away from me on his butt. I would have laughed if I wasn't so desperate to get that knife.  
  
" No problem. I'll just get another." I said, standing up. There was a clatter as Ryou leapt to his feet, dropped the knife, and tackled me. Ryou isn't very big, but I'm not going to be making the football team any time soon either. But still, he tackled me with enough force to send us both crashing into the cabinets. That resulted in another scuffle, until we both noticed that Ryou had left the original knife unguarded.  
  
" You sorry, ungrateful... tomb robber!" Ryou cried, trying to push me away from the knife, unable to come up with anything else to call me. I clambered over him, not really caring anymore if I hurt him. I just wanted that knife. Unfortunately, he grabbed my leg and hauled me back. I never knew how strong he actually was. Of course, he and I had never actually fought before. I guess he really surprised me.  
  
" I've been called worse, kid!" I cried, jerking my leg out of his grasp.  
  
" Ow!" Ryou cried. I think my heel caught him in the jaw, but I was never really sure. But I do think that because the next thing I knew, I had a bleeding bite mark on my foot.  
  
" Shit! What are you, rabid or something?!" I shrilled at him. He only flashed me a grin.  
  
" Never underestimate the power of the human jaw." He informed me. I made a mad grab for the knife, but Ryou made a savage kick at it that sent it spinning out of both our reach.  
  
" Damn you!" I cried, trying to crawl after it, but Ryou had me around the middle. " Let me go! Can't you see I'm sick of living?!"  
  
" Yeah, I can see that! But I can also see that that's just the easy way out! The coward's way! The weakling's way!" Ryou yelled back. " Quit squirming and listen to reason, will you?!" I did quit squirming. But not because Ryou screamed at me to, because I was thinking very hard right then. Ryou had thrown my own words back at me. Back when I beat him, I would tell him that he was a weakling and I hated weaklings. Now he was telling me that I was being a weakling. I heaved a sigh once again and lay there on the kitchen floor while Ryou got up, picked up the knife, gathered all the knives out of the drawers, and took them to one of his hiding places around the house. I didn't bother to follow him and try to find out where he was hiding them. I didn't have the strength. Ryou finally came back.  
  
" You don't have to baby me. I can take care of myself." I managed to mutter.  
  
" Yeah. I know." Ryou said. There was no sarcasm or mocking in his tone. Only sympathy. He started trying to pull me to my feet.  
  
" Just leave me alone." I begged.  
  
" If there's one thing you really need to learn, aside from how to control your feelings and how to think before you speak, it's that friends don't leave friends lying on the kitchen floor thinking about suicide." Ryou grunted, still trying to lift me up. I weigh a third more than he does, so that wasn't going to happen any time too soon. And I wasn't helping any. I just hung there like dead weight.  
  
" That's a laugh. You think of me as a friend." I muttered, managing a small sardonic laugh.  
  
" Like I said before. You're my yami. We're supposed to be friends." Ryou said through gritted teeth. He finally gave up on trying to lift me up and left. I sighed. So much for not leaving friends on the kitchen floor, I thought sadistically. I closed my eyes and lay there, imagining that I really had used that knife. Then, all of the sudden, something very cold and very wet hit me in the face. I sat bolt upright, blinking and sputtering and coughing. I looked up to see Ryou standing over me with a now empty glass of water and a sad grin.  
  
" You treacherous little..." I sputtered. I didn't finish it.  
  
" Sorry. You need to get up and eat." Ryou said. I stood up and made my way back to the couch.  
  
" I'm not hungry." I lied. Yeah, right. I was starving. I just didn't have the will to actually eat.  
  
" Yeah, I'll bet you aren't. You're already thin as a rail. Now, are you going to eat or am I going to have to force-feed you?" Ryou said, running and getting between me and my destination. I tried to step around him, but he just stepped in my way again. I growled at him, but that didn't work either.  
  
" Ryou, don't push my limits right now." I said slowly.  
  
" I'm sorry." Ryou said, shrugging. " You need to eat. Do I have to call Himeko?" he asked. I stared at him.  
  
" Whatever you do, don't call her. Call Yuki, call Jounouchi, you can even call the stupid Pharaoh for all I care right now, but please do not call her." I begged. The last thing I wanted right then was for Isis to see me like this.  
  
" Then go upstairs, put on a shirt, come back down, eat something, swear to me that you won't try to kill yourself, and I won't call her." Ryou bargained. I nodded.  
  
" Fine." I agreed dully.  
  
*+*+*Ryou*+*+*  
  
I watched my Yami sulk up the stairs and smiled to myself. I know him like the back of my hand, and I knew that he would never think to look under his own bed for the knives. He didn't even look there for his own shoes, much less anything else. I'm probably the best person you'll ever meet at hiding things.  
  
Regardless, I was concerned about him. After that night we went to that dumb ball and I found him sleeping on the back porch, he had been all depressed again. Granted, he spent a lot of his time depressed, but with Machiko running around I had thought he was getting over it. Turned out he had only found something to distract himself. I sighed. I didn't know what to do with him. I knew he needed something to distract himself, but I could remember all to clearly when I was that something, so I wasn't too keen on pushing him too hard. Being a punching bag is not an occupation I want to have permanently.  
  
Having my yami that peaceful was a blessing. I could barely remember the last time I had been so healthy. The only bruise on my body was on my shin, where I had accidentally kicked my desk at school in a rush to get to my next class. I had a full stomach, which, back then, was a miracle I could only dream of. My skin was healthy and not nearly as pale. My hair didn't hang there limply like that of a starved child. I had energy and I felt great. But then again... I hated seeing my yami like he was. It made me feel guilty. At that exact moment, he came stomping down the stairs. I looked up at him.  
  
" You look like a wet, whipped cat." He told me. I looked down at myself.  
  
" I can see where you got the whipped cat part, but wet?" I asked.  
  
" The way your hair's hanging. You look like someone tried to drown you." He explained. I smiled, and chose not to comment on how it wouldn't be the first time someone tried to drown me.  
  
" You look like you've been in a fight with a weed whacker. You also look like you lost." I returned. We were both covered with small cuts, and, judging by the way Bakura was limping, my little bite had hit home. My jaw felt unusually limp where he had kicked me. He managed a small smile.  
  
" Yeah, I probably do." He agreed. " What's for lunch?" he asked. I smiled.  
  
" Stuff yourself first, everything else comes second." I muttered as the phone started ringing. I went to answer it as he started digging through the fridge, mumbling something about not being hungry. I picked up the phone.  
  
" Hi, Ryou." A familiar voice said, after I said hello.  
  
" Dad!" I cried. Bakura poked his head around the fridge door to give me a curious look, which was hilarious because he had a Hershey's Bar sticking out of his mouth. No one knows how funny it is to see my yami eat. I had to struggle not to laugh.  
  
" How are you, son?" my father asked.  
  
" Um, I'm fine." I managed. " How are you?"  
  
" Great. We uncovered a whole new site. This could be big, Ryou." My father exalted. At which point my yami noticed that I was trying not to laugh and made a face at me with a carrot in each hand. I waved at him to knock it off. That just made him stick both carrots in his mouth and act like a walrus.  
  
" That's great, Dad! I bet you'll find something incredible." I said, shaking my fist at Bakura.  
  
" I can only hope, Ryou." My father said with a sigh. I snorted as Bakura stuck an apple in his mouth and made another funny face. " Are you okay, Ryou?"  
  
" Oh, yeah, I'm great. I've got a friend over right now. He's being a pain in the butt." I said, emphasizing the last part.  
  
" That's wonderful, Ryou. How's school?" my father asked, sounding genuinely pleased that I had a "friend" over.  
  
" It's good. I passed that test I was worried about." I said, even though I doubted my father even remembered what test I was talking about.  
  
" Ryou, I've got to go." My father said regretfully. I grimaced.  
  
" I figured you would. It's no big deal." I said. " Just, when are you coming home?"  
  
" I was planning on coming back in a few weeks, but with this new site, it could be another few months." My father said slowly. I turned away from Bakura, so he wouldn't see me blinking back tears.  
  
" That's fine, Dad. They need you." I muttered.  
  
" Ryou, if you want me to-" my father started, but I interrupted him.  
  
" Oh, Dad, there's a beep and I don't want to hike the phone bill. Can I talk to you later?" I asked.  
  
" I guess so. Goodbye." He said sadly.  
  
" Bye!" I said cheerfully, then hung up the phone.  
  
" Well?" Bakura asked.  
  
" We don't have to worry about explaining you for another few months." I said.  
  
" I thought you had someone on the other line." Bakura said, pointing at the phone.  
  
" I lied. I didn't want to listen to him apologize." I muttered. Bakura watched me.  
  
" And you said I had a problem." He murmured.  
  
" I know." I said, forcing a smile that was too bright. " We're just falling apart."  
  
A/N: Okay, that was pretty pointless. v_v Again. I promise I'm going somewhere with this. At least, I think I am. (sigh) Suggestions are welcome. And constructive criticism too. (glare at DT, RF's little brother) Stupid little brother and his friends kept me up all night. I'm functioning on two hours sleep. Oh well. Bye-bye, I'm going to bed. 


	14. A Dangerous Stench

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Fourteen... A Dangerous Stench  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I admit it. I was jealous. Very jealous. First, Yuki had Honda hanging all over her. Now, there was this guy from America who had come to "visit" her. If I'd had my way, the guy would have been unconscious on the next flight back to America. But naturally, with Yuki all but attached to him, that wasn't happening. So what did I have to do? Grin and bear it.  
  
If anyone was more upset than me about Zack's turning up, it was Yami. Of course, he had a protective streak like an over-territorial alpha wolf. And it may have just been my jealousy talking, but there was something really not right about that guy. He wore black all the time. And his eyes seemed too bright. In a way, he reminded me of Yuki. But not very much. Normally, I wouldn't have cared. But anyone so close to Yuki had to pass my tests.  
  
" Seto, we're bored. Will you take us to the park?" Mokuba pleaded, pulling at my arm. I opened my eyes and smiled slightly at the sight of the three of them. Yoshi was tallest, at twelve years old and just hitting his first growth spurts. Mokuba was ten, and only a few inches shorter than Yoshi. He was obviously going to take after me in height and build. Yukio was the smallest, only six. He had Yuki's big, innocent eyes. Not their unique color, but their look. He would probably lose it as he grew, and that was a shame. Yukio would be the kind of guy that just attracted girls, though. He knew how to play people like video games. Mokuba was still at the age where girls were kept as far away as possible. Yoshi, though, had already brought home a few girls, playing off of his bright blue eyes and charming dimpled smile, his quick wits and freeborn attitude. I lifted a lazy hand and ruffled Yukio's hair.  
  
" You three are growing up too fast." I muttered.  
  
" Not fast enough, if you ask me." Yoshi growled. He was far more aggressive than Yuki. But just as stubborn. He would be rebellious as he got to his teenage years.  
  
" To start with, I didn't ask you. For another, you need to be thankful for what you've got." I said, standing. It was a standard speech for that kid. " You've only got so much time left to be a kid. And when you are grown up, you'll be like me. You'll know more than you think you want to and you'll be sitting alone thinking about how you wish you were a kid again." I said. Yoshi looked up at me. He wouldn't be looking up much longer. The men in Yuki's family were all huge, the shortest stood at six foot five. And Yoshi would be no exception.  
  
" I like being a kid." Mokuba volunteered. Yukio nodded and Yoshi resigned for now. I smiled sadly. A heck of a childhood they'd had. Sure, Yuki and I had tried to create a normal family atmosphere for them. But when your sister plays as your mother and your brother plays as your father, you can't help but know it's not normal. And then you look at it from Yuki and my point of view. We have no authority figure. We are the authority figure. We don't have a parent to run to when we're scared or upset. We have each other. Maybe that's why I was so protective of her. I didn't want to lose my balance and stability in a world that was only concerned with me because of what I could do for it.  
  
" I can't take you out today, but I promise I'll take you all out for dinner tonight. We'll go someplace fun, okay?" I asked. Yukio clapped happily, but he's easy to please. Yoshi looked a little upset, and Mokuba took it as it came. He was used to this, more so than Yoshi or Yukio. They weren't used to both Yuki and I being too busy. " Yoshi, don't look at me like that. I've got to work and you know it." I protested.  
  
" You've always got to work!" Yoshi cried. I sighed. Mokuba had done this too. I had been just waiting for it to happen with Yoshi.  
  
" Yeah, I do. It doesn't mean I like working more than I like being with you guys. I'd rather go to the park or the arcade with you any day. I hate it as much as you do. But we all have to suck it up and bear it." I said.  
  
They left soon after. Yoshi was still sulking, but he was "bearing it." I finally made my way home, wondering what surprises awaited me there. It turned out to be the biggest surprise of all; nothing. There was nothing special going on, no guests, nothing. Just my family. Yuki was waiting for me at the door, that big silly grin that I loved plastered on her soft face. I grinned back at her as she leaped into my arms. I dropped my briefcase just in time to catch her.  
  
" Well, hello to you too." I said.  
  
" Hi!" Yuki cried belatedly into my chest.  
  
" Where's your friend?" I asked.  
  
" Zack? He insisted on staying in a hotel and he wouldn't tell me why." She explained, frowning.  
  
" Maybe he likes his privacy." I suggested.  
  
" He's one of those people that seek other people." Yuki protested.  
  
" Don't worry about it tonight, okay?" I pleaded. Yuki smiled again from her position with my arms around her. " Let's all go out to dinner. Just us and the boys." I demanded.  
  
" Seto! We don't have any reservations-" Yuki started to protest, but I cut her off.  
  
" Taken care of." I said.  
  
" I don't have anything to wear-"  
  
" Just throw on that black one, with the spaghetti straps." I advised.  
  
" Will you quit overthrowing all my reasons not to go?" Yuki asked, her grin ruining the act. I hugged her close to me and breathed in her scent, thankful to Bakura for the millionth time that day alone that he saved her life.  
  
" You're good for me. You know that, right?" I asked. Yuki nodded into my chest. I hated to think what I would be without her. Still that cold- hearted ruthless shell of a man that everyone saw. Yuki made me human. She made me happy, she made me conscious of my heart. I traced the rough patch of skin that marked her scar with my finger, feeling the stiff smoothness that made me angry at Machiko all over again. I felt the traitorous heat in my cheeks. As much as I felt for Yuki, I didn't love her. I didn't. Did I?  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
" You're doing great, Anzu. Just keep it up." I encouraged Anzu gently. Her face scrunched up with the effort. She lifted her leg gracefully, so that her foot pointed almost straight up. She winced as she lowered it, but didn't miss a beat. Both of us were mentally counting every single beat. She skipped gracefully across the back room of an abandoned warehouse we had converted into her personal dance studio. Kaiba had even found out about it and had one wall tiled with mirrors, and there were even rails circling the room. Honda and Jou had both worked with the plumbing so that the room now got running water for the first time in what must have been a few decades. Mai had stashed some leotards in the room incase Anzu ever felt the need for a change of wardrobe. Yami had dragged in an old couch he had found in some garage sale. It was stained and saggy, but it was a great couch anyway. Yuki and Himeko had teamed up and decorated the room with posters of great dancers to inspire Anzu. Ryou had donated his old stereo and one of those small fridges so Anzu could have actual music and cold drinks, and Yami Bakura had some surprise he planned to get us all with, but not even Ryou knew what it was. My contribution? Endless hours sitting on that old couch or jogging beside Anzu, encouraging her and keeping track of beats, helping her stretch and checking to make sure she did things right.  
  
This was where Anzu was in the process of making her dream come true. I was determined to help her. She started on the second part of the piece she was performing, which she was learning off one of the videos Yuki supplied to her. The part she was on required her to do a full leap across the room, and Anzu took a bit of a stiff run to make it. However, she never got to the actual leap. Her ankle bent over just before she made it and she hit the ground.  
  
" Ow!" she cried sharply, somewhere between pain and a distressed sob. I ran over to her, hitting my knees next to her.  
  
" Are you okay? I saw that! Your ankle bent almost all the way over!" I cried.  
  
" I don't know." Anzu sniffled, pulling her ankle up for me to see. She was in the dancing shoes her mother had gotten her for her last birthday. I inspected it gently. " Please, don't tell me it's sprained. I just can't afford an injury right now." Anzu begged. I looked up.  
  
" I don't think it's sprained. But your definitely not going to be able to dance any more tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either." I said slowly. Anzu let out a wail.  
  
" Yugi, I have to practice!" she cried, standing up. She went right back down.  
  
" Anzu, you're going to make it worse! Just stay still. I'll go get some ice." I said.  
  
" Yugi, why do you come here for me all the time?" she asked. I sighed and turned back to her, wrapping some ice up in a few towels.  
  
" Because you're my friend and I know you'd do the same for me." I said. Because you're the most beautiful creature in the world and I'd die for you, I added silently.  
  
" You're my best friend, Yugi." Anzu said, smiling at me as I gently set the ice down on her ankle. She breathed in sharply. " That stings."  
  
" Sorry." I said automatically. We sat together in silence for a few moments.  
  
" I guess we better go home then, huh?" Anzu said finally.  
  
" Yeah, I guess so." I agreed. I stood up. " Let me help you." I offered. Anzu ended up having to use me as a sort of crutch, so I had to walk her all the way home.  
  
" Wow, look at the moon." Anzu said as we were about halfway to her house. I looked up at the moon. It was round and full, brighter than I ever remembered it being.  
  
" It's pretty." I said out loud. Then I noticed that the world around us had gone totally silent. No frogs croaking, no crickets chirping. The only sound that could be heard was our own footsteps. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.  
  
" Yugi..." Anzu murmured my name, as though just by saying it she could make herself feel safer. It didn't make me feel safer. It made me feel worse. If we got into trouble, could I protect her? I forced a small laugh.  
  
" We're just scaring ourselves, Anzu. That's all. Nothing to worry about." I said. Anzu nodded, her attention directed to dark alleyways and hidden corners around us. I turned us abruptly into the park. It was out of our way and would mean more time getting to Anzu's house, but it was brightly lit and chances were that there would be people. Anzu didn't protest my change in direction. Unfortunately, there were no people. There wasn't a single living creature in sight.  
  
" Yugi, this is really creeping me out." Anzu muttered.  
  
" I'm sure it's nothing." I assured her. I wasn't really all that sure. In reality, I was pretty scared. We both jerked as we heard something move in the brush.  
  
" Ugh! Yugi, what's that smell?" Anzu asked, covering her nose with her hands. I did the same.  
  
" It smells like rotting meat!" I choked. We both looked at each other.  
  
" Maybe we should just go." Anzu said slowly.  
  
" We should at least look. I mean, it's our duty as good citizens, right?" I suggested.  
  
" Yeah, but it's also our duty to stay safe. And I've got a bad feeling about this." Anzu intoned.  
  
" I do too." I agreed. I shuddered. My sixth sense was going wild, screaming at me to run as fast as I could. " Wait, there's someone over there!" I cried, pointing to a spot where I saw a leg sticking out of a bush.  
  
" Oh my God!" Anzu cried, hobbling after me as I dashed over. I pushed the brush aside and peered in, Anzu leaning over me. And then, Anzu's scream echoed over the entire city.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I hate wearing dresses and skirts. But as much as I hate that, I hate running in them worse. They just keep getting in the way. But that night, I didn't care. I ran anyway, Yukio in my arms. Running in a dress, barefoot (I had taken off my dress shoes and left them in the limo after we had gotten the call), and carrying a six-year-old is not an easy thing to do. I kept hitting my toes on things.  
  
We got to the police station later than almost everyone else. Ryou and Bakura had yet to show apparently, but everyone else was there. They weren't letting us talk to Anzu or Yugi.  
  
" We're here!" I cried, running into the room. I tried to come to an abrupt stop, but the funny thing was, my feet stopped and the rest of me kept moving. I did a sort of flip in midair and landed on my back so that instead of me falling on Yukio, Yukio fell on me.  
  
" Smooth move, Grace." Himeko cracked dryly.  
  
" Yukio, honey, could you get off me?" I asked hoarsely. All the air had been knocked out of me.  
  
" You look funny, sis." I was told in response.  
  
" I don't feel funny, buddy." I told him. Seto scooped him off.  
  
" Let your sister breathe." He told Yukio reprimandingly. I climbed to my feet, just as the door behind us all opened. We all turned to it as Yugi led Anzu out. Mai practically stormed them.  
  
" Oh my God! You scared us all so much! Are you okay? Do you feel ill? Was it scary? Oh, it must have been terrible! You both look pale-" she shot off ninety to nothing. I had to interrupt her.  
  
" Mai, give them a chance to breathe." I said. Then I turned to Yugi and Anzu. " Sorry, we're all a little excited. How do you feel?" I asked gently. Yugi smiled at me gratefully, but Anzu grimaced.  
  
" A little sick. I just want to go home." She moaned. Seto stepped up behind me.  
  
" Would you two feel better if you slept at the mansion?" he asked. Jou was the next to step up and pat Yugi on the shoulder. We were all being very careful not to crowd them.  
  
" No thank you, Kaiba. I'm kind of anxious to get home." Yugi murmured quietly. Yami got a hold of him next, asking him questions like " You're sure you're okay? You're absolutely positive? Do you feel sick? You're absolutely, totally sure you're okay?"  
  
" Thanks, but I really want to sleep in my bed tonight." Anzu said.  
  
" That's understandable." Seto said gently. Mai rushed to give Anzu a hug.  
  
" What a crappy thing to happen!" she cried, as though angry that something like that should happen to one of her friends. Anzu smiled, though.  
  
" Kaiba, Yuki? I do need a ride home. My mom went to visit my aunt in Osaka and I don't have another way home. And I really don't want to walk." Anzu asked over Mai's shoulder.  
  
" Of course we'll give you a ride." Seto said, beating me to it. Anzu stared at him for a moment. " What?" he asked.  
  
" Nothing." Anzu responded quickly. We ended up letting Anzu ride in the limo, after Bakura and Ryou showed up. Ryou was very concerned for them both, but Bakura was more interested in what they had actually seen. In explanation, he told us all that it felt weird to him. Anzu was gracious enough to not mention the whole thing in front of the boys. We dropped her off at her house and then went home.  
  
" So much for my bright idea." Seto muttered as we walked in the door.  
  
" Get ready for bed." I instructed the boys, then turned to Seto. " I had fun." I informed him. Seto smiled at me and patted my head.  
  
" What would I do without you?" he asked.  
  
" Develop a really big ulcer?" I suggested. Seto laughed.  
  
" I think I might already have one." He told me. I nodded.  
  
" Yeah, I can understand that." I said with a rueful laugh. After that, I went upstairs to tuck the boys in, then returned to the downstairs living room to find Seto watching the news. It was his nightly practice. I usually curled up with him and read a book, but tonight I wasn't in the mood to read, so I just sat down and silently began to watch the TV.  
  
" And in local news, a pair of local teenagers stumbled onto the scene of a brutal murder." The news anchor said dully. Like it didn't matter. I winced. Those were my friends she was talking about. " The two teens wish to have their names kept secret, but while walking home together, the pair claim to have heard strange noises. They fled to the park because it was brightly lit and they thought there would be people. While there, one teen saw a person lying in some brush. When the two inspected the area, they found an elderly man, brutally mauled. When asked to comment, the police said that the victim looked more like a wolf or a lion had been tearing at his body than if he were just murdered-" At that point, Seto turned it off. We sat in the darkened room in silence, both of us considering what we had heard.  
  
" What do you think?" Seto asked at last. I sighed.  
  
" I think what Bakura thinks. This smells funny." I said truthfully.  
  
" I knew the peacefulness was too good to last." Seto said sadly. " It felt almost like we were normal for a while."  
  
" Us, normal?" I said with a short laugh. " You must be really tired, Seto." I said.  
  
" Hm." Seto murmured gently in my ear. I liked it when he nuzzled me. It made me feel safe and warm. " I am. Long day at the office." He told me. His breath smelled like the breath mint he had popped into his mouth on the way to the police station. He, himself, smelled like soap, the faint scent of laundry detergent on his clothes, and the distinct yet somehow subtle scent that I associated with Seto alone. " Did you know your hair smells like vanilla?" he asked me.  
  
" I use vanilla scented shampoo." I told him.  
  
" I love vanilla." Seto muttered. I glanced up at the clock.  
  
" Do I have to make you go to bed like the boys?" I asked, smiling gently.  
  
" Oh, fine. I like using you as a pillow better, though." Seto said, releasing me from his grip. He smiled at me as I stood, then stood with me. " Screw the rest of the world. Let's just take the boys and run away. We can hide where no one else can find us." He told me, taking both my hands in his.  
  
" This is really bothering you, Seto." I said, sighing.  
  
" Yes, it is." Seto admitted. " I hate this. I sit here and watch you get thinner and paler and sicker. And the entire time, I feel so helpless." He said through gritted teeth. I brushed my fingers over his right cheek, wondering what he thought of the scar that tainted my own features.  
  
" Don't worry about me, Seto." I told him. He laughed a little. We both went to bed afterwards. Yes, I was getting paler and thinner and sicker all the time. It was hard for me to get out of bed. I was getting sick, and I knew it. But I was afraid to tell anyone. In a strange, morbid way, I already knew the truth. There was a reason no one before me had ever summoned the Key of Ra. It has a terrible price that its holder has to pay. And little by little, I was paying it.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
I turned into the hallway, my eyes still glued shut with sleep. Out of habit, I started down the stairs. Unfortunately, my inner map of the house did not prepare me for Ammon's male habits.  
  
" Ah!" I cried, going head over heels all the way to the bottom of the stairs. Once there, Grandpa discovered me on my head. " Ow..."  
  
" Himeko, the trick to using the stairs is not to use your head in any way." he told me. I glared up at him as best I could from my position, just before flopping over to my side.  
  
" Ow." I muttered, then stood up. " What'd I trip over?" I wondered out loud. Then I discovered Ammon's school jacket on the floor near me. " Ammon!" I bellowed.  
  
" Yami!" Grandpa corrected me. They were all trying to get us used to calling one another by our modern names.  
  
" Yami!" I conceded, storming into the kitchen. Ammon, I mean Yami, looked up at me in question from his seat at the table. I shoved the jacket up into his face.  
  
" That would be my jacket. Any other questions?" Yami asked, smirking up at me. I glared at him, and Yugi chuckled over his cereal.  
  
" No, that's all I needed to know." I said. " Now I can get revenge!" I cried, lunging at him and knocking him to the floor. " Your dumb jacket almost killed me!" I yelled at him.  
  
" And that's my fault?!" he asked angrily.  
  
" Yes!" I told him. " You need to learn how to pick up your stuff!"  
  
" So do you!" Yami returned. I kicked him off me.  
  
" G'morning, Yugi. How do you feel?" I asked sociably while Yami lunged at me.  
  
" I feel fine. There was another body found last night. They think it was the same killer. The victim was torn to pieces." Yugi informed me.  
  
Yami and I settled our little fight later and went to the Kaiba mansion with Yugi. The whole group was supposed to gather there. Yuki greeted us with a weak smile. I winced. She looked so much weaker than three days ago. Honda, Anzu, Ryou and Tepe had already arrived. And I don't care what they want, I will always know him as Tepemkau.  
  
" So what are we looking at? A modern, Jack-The-Ripper wannabe?" Ryou asked after Yugi told him what was on the morning news. Just then, Mai walked in with Jou. Those two had taken to arriving in a pair.  
  
" I'm guessing you guys heard the news?" Jou asked. I nodded.  
  
" Yep." I said.  
  
" This still feels weird to me." Tepe broke in.  
  
" What feels weird?" Seto asked, coming down the stairs, the state of his hair telling me he had slept late. Yuki explained to him, and he grimaced. " Seems like we can't have any peace around here." He muttered.  
  
" Screw it. It's none of our business. Leave it to the cops." Honda said, with a dismissive wave of his hand.  
  
" This isn't a normal serial killer." Yugi interrupted. " The whole place stank of something not normal last night." He added, wincing at the memory of what he and Anzu had seen.  
  
" All I smelled was-was-" Anzu stuttered, gulping and looking a little green.  
  
" We get the idea, Anzu." I said.  
  
" Sixth sense sort of smell." Yugi clarified.  
  
" Like I said. This feels weird." Tepe said. Ryou nodded his agreement.  
  
" So what? Even if it does, we aren't detectives. And we aren't being threatened directly, so we have no right to butt into business that isn't ours." Jou protested.  
  
" You know what I think?" I said suddenly. Every head turned to me. " Well, isn't it kind of funny? That guy Zack shows up out of the blue, and all of the sudden, a bunch of brutal murders occur." I shrugged.  
  
" No!" Yuki cried, her strength returning to her as she leapt to her feet from the armchair she had been sitting in. " Zack would never hurt anyone!"  
  
" This from the girl that knew him almost eight months ago." I said. Tepe nodded with me. " A lot can change a person in eight months. You, of all people, ought to know that." I said, tapping Yuki's right cheek to emphasize my point.  
  
" You have no proof!" Yuki cried. She seemed genuinely upset.  
  
" You're right." I said, stepping back from her. " I have no proof. But talk to him yourself. You know when people lie to you. So go see if he lies to you." I said. Yuki glared at me, and I looked away. She could get anyone to do anything with that glare.  
  
" Fine. I'll show you. You're all too paranoid." Yuki said, storming out of the house. Seto was halfway to the door to follow her when Jou dragged him back.  
  
" This is something she needs to do on her own." Jou growled at Seto, who was struggling. " You can't always hover over her and protect her from every hurt that comes her way. You'll only do her more harm than protect her in the end." Seto jerked his arm out of Jou's grip.  
  
" I know! Trust me, I know, probably better than anyone else in the room." He said. I gave him a steady look. " Almost anyone else." He corrected himself.  
  
" Yuki likes to believe the best about people. She hates having to believe something bad about anyone, even if they would hurt her. She needs to learn that not everyone is nice and life isn't always easy." I said softly. " I'm her yami, her darkness. It's my job to protect her as best I can, and that's an urge every other yami I know can relate to. It's as primal and undeniable as the need to breathe." I said the mortals and lights present. Tepe and Yami nodded. " I'm not sure what purpose we were created for, but I do know that purpose includes protecting our lights. But it also includes guiding them, teaching them what no one else can."  
  
" In my case, it's teaching Ryou to be stronger." Tepe said, so soft his voice was almost a whisper.  
  
" Or in mine, pointing Yugi in the right direction." Yami was quick to add, not to be beaten by Tepe.  
  
" And in mine, teaching Yuki about life in general." I said, smiling at Tepe and Yami.  
  
" You guys sure have a funny teaching method." Ryou said, crossing his arms over his chest. Tepe blinked and then laughed.  
  
" Well, it worked!" he cried.  
  
" Gotta give him that." Yami admitted.  
  
" Wow! He just said something nice about Bakura!" Yugi cried.  
  
" Oh my God! Stock up on canned foods! The world as we know it is coming to an end!" Jou cried. Seto laughed.  
  
" Better invest in a bomb shelter!" he said.  
  
" Should we be insulted?" Tepe asked Yami.  
  
" Yeah." Yami said. Everyone laughed, and the serious air was lifted from the room.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
" Thank you." I said to the driver, climbing out of the limo. I stared up at the hotel Zack was staying in. I knew his room number was 656, but I had no idea where exactly that was.  
  
I was annoyed with my friends' behavior. They were just being paranoid. I was surprised Seto didn't try to follow me, but then, maybe he realized that this was one of those things I had to do on my own.  
  
" Excuse me." I said politely to the lady at the front desk. She turned me and smiled expectantly. " My friend is staying in room 656, could you please tell me what floor that's on?" I asked.  
  
" Of course." The lady said, tapping at the computer in front of her. " That's on the sixth floor. Should be about in the middle of the hall." I was informed. I bowed thankfully.  
  
" Thank you very much." I said, starting toward the elevator.  
  
I found Zack's room pretty easily. I knocked on the door, wondering if he was awake. He always was a night owl, up late and late to rise. The door opened rather suddenly, revealing Zack in his usually baggy black clothes.  
  
" Yuki!" he cried, looking dismayed at my arrival. I figured maybe I had caught him at a bad time.  
  
" Hi, Zack. Can I talk to you?" I asked. Zack looked a little stressed for a moment, then he shrugged and opened the door wide enough to allow me past.  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
" I win again, Jou." I said calmly.  
  
" No way! How could you beat me fifteen times in a row?!" Jou shrilled, falling over backwards.  
  
" Obviously, my superior gaming techniques. Chihuahua." I said, flashing my friend a grin. We were both seated in front of one of the big screen TVs, playing one of those dumb fighting games that Jou loves. I forget what it was called.  
  
" I've won, like, twenty tournaments! There's no way you can beat me at a game you've never even played! And I am not a dog!" Jou cried, sitting up and glaring at me. I glared back, rising to the unspoken challenge.  
  
To the casual observer, Jou and I look like we utterly abhor one another. We fight almost non-stop, and we're always insulting each other. But, anyone who really knows us knows that's just our way of showing our friendship. Before Jou and I became friends, I only really loosened up around Yuki. But back in Egypt, the two of us faced some really bad stuff together. Our friendship was born out of murder, by love of another. We both killed for someone we loved, and today, we look at each other with a new respect. I still call him a Chihuahua. And he still calls me an arrogant jerk. But there's a new tone to it, the way two best friends fight about something trivial. Just because we can, just because we're both there.  
  
I kicked Jou off of me as the doorbell rang. He grinned at me.  
  
" I win!" he cried triumphantly.  
  
" You just keep telling yourself that, wittle puppy-dog." I said, grinning innocently. Jou would have tackled me, had I not been so quick on my feet. I jogged up to the door and threw it open, expecting to find someone from Kaiba Corp. there with some message about the company. Instead, I came face to face with two girls I recognized from a distant memory.  
  
" Seto Kaiba?" the shorter, light brunette girl asked. Her eyes were warm brown, flecked with green near the pupil, and her skin was very pale. The other was slightly taller, with black hair cut very short, a dark complexion, and mahogany eyes.  
  
" Sarah? Lauren?" I asked, cocking my head curiously. Just then, Jou stepped up behind me.  
  
" Someone you know, Kaiba?" he asked me, leaning on my right shoulder. I shoved him off. Sarah was the paler one, the dark one was Lauren. I could clearly remember them now. Sarah and Lauren were two of Yuki's best friends from America. Yuki had introduced me to them on one of my visits when we were about fourteen. They had both changed some, but not so much that I didn't recognize them.  
  
" Wow, I didn't think you'd recognize us." Sarah said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
" Can we come in? We really need to talk to you about something." Lauren said. I nodded, stepped aside and held the door open for both of them.  
  
" It's nice to see you, and Yuki will love to see you again, but... Why didn't you call and warn us?" I asked.  
  
" It was really a spur of the moment thing." Lauren said, eyeing Jou.  
  
" This is Katsuya Jounouchi." I said belatedly, purposely choosing to put Jou's real first name before his surname so the girls would understand better.  
  
" Nice to meet you, Katsuya." Sarah said politely, while Lauren nodded at him.  
  
" Call me Jou, please." Jou said.  
  
" What brings you here?" I asked the two of them, as Yami came into the room, stopped, grinned at me, and turned back to Bakura and Himeko behind him.  
  
" Kaiba and Jou have some female visitors!" he called.  
  
" Yami!" Jou bellowed.  
  
" We... came to see if Zack had shown up here." Sarah said, watching Jou chase Yami around while Himeko and Bakura laughed.  
  
" Yeah, he came around yesterday to see Yuki." I said. Sarah and Lauren both exchanged a look.  
  
" Where's Yuki right now?" Lauren asked quickly.  
  
" She just went to see him." I said, a little taken aback.  
  
" We need to find her right away. She could be in a lot of danger." Lauren explained. I felt like my heart had frozen into a solid block of ice. 


	15. The Truth

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Fifteen... The Truth  
  
A/N: Hey everyone! First off, I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and your great advice. Second, I would like to announce that this is officially my longest fic ever!!! Yay!!! So go ahead and enjoy this part, the last part of my little mini-saga. By the way, there is some foreshadowing of the next saga in here, or at least a big part of it. See if you can find it! Arigato again, and sayonara!  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I stepped into Zack's hotel room. It was just a regular room, single bed, coffee machine, sink, bathroom, TV, chair, and a dresser. Nothing special at all. His bags were strewn over the floor, but he had never been that organized.  
  
" What brings you here?" he asked. He seemed almost nervous. He kicked at something on floor so that it flew under the bed and out of my sight. I gave him a curious look.  
  
" I came over to see you, instead of making you come all the way over to the mansion." I said, then remembered why I had actually come. " Have you seen the news?" I asked, seating myself in the chair. Zack grabbed the pot of coffee and poured himself a mug.  
  
" Want some?" he asked, offering me a cup.  
  
" No, thank you. I don't drink coffee." I said. I waited for him to answer my earlier question, and when he didn't, I decided to ask it again.  
  
" Have you seen the news?" I repeated. Zack looked up at me from his coffee, almost looking pained.  
  
" Yeah... I saw it this morning. The two people they found killed." He said.  
  
" I wonder who did it?" I said, trying not to seem suspicious. " I mean, who could have done something so terrible?"  
  
" I don't know." Zack said, looking away from me. I always know when people lie to me. And right then, my heart sank down to my feet.  
  
" Yes, you do." I said quietly. Zack looked up at me sharply, his coffee mug tipping dangerously.  
  
" I do?" he asked me, his voice shaking.  
  
" You do." I agreed. " You can tell me, Zack." I added softly. Zack stood abruptly and paced the length of the room.  
  
" No, I can't. That would only put you in danger." He said.  
  
" You killed those people, didn't you?" I asked, trying not to think about what might happen if he answered like I thought he would.  
  
" No!" Zack protested, wheeling around to face me. " No! I didn't kill them! You have to believe me, Yuki! You of all people! Please, I didn't kill them!" he cried. I rose to my feet and placed my hands on his shaking shoulders.  
  
" Then who did, Zack?" I asked gently. He looked away from me.  
  
" That's where things start to get tricky." He said. " Listen, I'm going to tell you some things that you're probably not going to believe, but I'm going to tell you anyway. You're the only one I can trust. You always were." Zack paused to take a shaky breath. " Listen, once a month or so, something weird happens to me. It usually happens when there's a full moon, but not always. It's like I'm a werewolf, but I don't turn into a wolf or anything like that. But something else controls my body." Zack explained. I breathed deeply. It reminded me very much of an experience Ryou, Yugi, and I all knew so well.  
  
" That's not so tough for me to believe." I said quietly. Zack pulled away from me and got the thing he had kicked under the bed out. It was the shirt he had worn the day before. There were a lot of stains on it. I looked away before I could discern what kind of stains they were. I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew anyway.  
  
" And when that something else takes over, I do terrible things. Sarah and Lauren caught me one night, just as I was changing back into me. They saw me with blood all down my front and all on my face. They confronted me the next day and asked me if I was the one committing all those brutal murders. I didn't know what to tell them. Now they think I'm a killer, or worse, a werewolf. And I don't blame them. Yuki, tell me there's more than one way to stop this. I don't want to die yet." Zack pleaded with me. I looked at him. He didn't have a Millennium Item, so it wasn't like I could just take that away.  
  
" I think it's some form of possession. Do you remember what happens when you change?" I asked. Zack shrugged.  
  
" I don't remember much. Usually I black out or something. But I don't want to talk about what I do remember." He told me. I sighed.  
  
" I don't know how to stop it, Zack. But I think I know someone who might." I told him.  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
" I can't believe what you're telling us." Honda announced. " I didn't like that guy from the start, but a werewolf? That's a little harsh."  
  
" No kidding." Jou agreed.  
  
" Well, believe it. Sarah and I saw him." Lauren told us.  
  
" Is it that hard to believe, Honda? Considering all you have seen?" Ryou asked. Honda shrugged.  
  
" I told you it felt weird!" Bakura cried.  
  
" Oh, shut up." Yami growled.  
  
" So what do we do?" Himeko asked.  
  
" Don't the legends say that to kill a werewolf, you have to shoot him with a silver bullet?" Anzu asked. I shuddered.  
  
" I'm not shooting anyone, silver bullet or not!" Ryou protested.  
  
" I agree completely!" Yugi said hastily, nodding vehemently.  
  
" That may be the only way." Sarah said.  
  
" Then you can pull the trigger." Mai said crossly.  
  
" If that's what it comes to, then I will!" Sarah shot back. Sarah had always been quicker to anger than her other friends.  
  
" Isn't there another way to do it?" I asked, looking around helplessly.  
  
" I saw a movie once where they froze the werewolf." Jou volunteered.  
  
" That's not true. Lauren and I did some research before we came here, and all the stuff we read agrees that werewolves can survive all the most extreme conditions, including cold." Sarah said. " Besides, how would we do it?"  
  
" Where would we get a silver bullet?" Honda asked.  
  
" Silver bullet?" Bakura asked. " You people come up with funny legends. A silver bullet won't kill him when he's changed." Everyone looked at him. " Think, Pha- Yami. What would kill so brutally, using the body of a young man?" he asked.  
  
" Oh, I see." Yami said, nodding. " That's not much better, though."  
  
" I'm just saying no silly silver bullet is going to kill it." Bakura said, shrugging.  
  
" What? What are you two talking about?" Lauren asked.  
  
" A type of possession. Your friend has been possessed by a restless spirit." Yami explained.  
  
" How do we get rid of it?" I asked, quick to cut to business.  
  
" Um, good question." Yami said. " Any ideas?" he asked Bakura, who shrugged.  
  
" A priest? A god? Take your pick." He said.  
  
" What in the world are you talking about?" Sarah asked. I waved my hand to shush her.  
  
" Would a Millennium Item work?" I asked. Both young men looked up at me.  
  
" I really don't know. It might." Yami said. Bakura shrugged again.  
  
" Don't look at me. I'm certainly as far from holy as you can get." He said. " He ain't gonna do much better." He added, pointing to Yami, who growled.  
  
" I'm certainly better than you." He said.  
  
" Both of you shut up!" Yugi cried.  
  
" Well, even if we did find someone strong enough and pure enough to do the actual exorcism, there's a big chance that this Zack guy would die." Bakura said, shooting a dangerous glare at Yami.  
  
" That's a pretty big risk." Anzu said quietly.  
  
" But we can't just leave him to run around and kill people." Yami added quickly.  
  
" Okay, let's vote. Sarah, Lauren, you too." I said, nodding to the two girls. " Everyone against the exorcism, raise your hand." I said loudly. Anzu and Honda both raised their hands. I looked around. " Then I assume that everyone else is for it?" I asked. Everyone nodded. " Sorry, Anzu and Honda. Guess we go ahead with it." I said, shrugging.  
  
" Assuming we can find someone to do it." Yugi muttered.  
  
" Oh, that's easy. Who's the strongest, purest person you know?" Himeko asked with a grin.  
  
" Yuki." Nine other voices answered automatically. Sarah and Lauren simply looked bewildered. We had gone a little over their heads, I decided.  
  
" Don't ask." I told them.  
  
" So what hotel is this guy staying in?" Yami asked, already halfway to the door.  
  
" It's clear across town. And there's no way we're all going to fit in your baby of a car!" I called after him.  
  
" Fine. If you're coming with me, hurry up!" Yami yelled. Himeko, Yugi, Bakura, and Ryou all chased after him. That left me with Anzu, Honda, Sarah, and Lauren. Honda and Anzu decided to ride with Jou and Mai, and Sarah and Lauren rode with me in one of the limos. And naturally, Yami and Jou turned it into a race to see who could get to the hotel first. I sat silently in the limo, watching the world around me roll by. Sarah and Lauren talked in hushed tones, and I ignored them. They were confused, and I knew it. I had forgotten how odd the world my friends and I knew seemed to someone from the outside. I remember how weird it was for me when I first figured Yami and Yugi out. I had sat there, wondering if maybe I had lost my mind, or if Yugi had lost his. It was hard for a grounded mind like mine to grasp a concept so supernatural. Now I accepted it without a second thought. Yami, Himeko, and Bakura were all ancient spirits who got the worse end of a bad deal, and were now living alongside their reincarnated forms. I myself was the reincarnated form of one of their old friends. And none of this bothered me. I once knew a guy who was gay. I didn't even think about it, even when he commented on how another guy was hot or something like that. Now, this stuff with my friends was just like that. It was something I accepted without thinking.  
  
A sudden pain in my head made me kneel over so that my forehead touched my knees. Lauren and Sarah paid me no attention, caught up in some heated debate that had developed between them. I was used to severe headaches. I get them all the time, due to stress and injuries to the head I had when I was younger. But this was unlike any of the headaches I was used to. Bright colors exploded like fireworks in front of my eyes, forming bright, quick images that were gone before I could comprehend what they were. I could hear quick bits of voices, saying things that were vaguely familiar, like a memory from a dream...  
  
" As always, I win!"  
  
" Catch me if you can!"  
  
" You look a little pale."  
  
" We'll always be best friends. I promise. Do you?"  
  
" What a klutz."  
  
Laughter echoed over my mind, familiar yet not at the same time. Like something I knew before my memory went back. I likened the laughter to Mokuba, but not quite... Was it mine? My own laughter, as a child? I couldn't remember myself laughing very much as a child. There wasn't much to laugh about. Someone was calling my name, but they weren't saying Seto, or Kaiba, or anything I'd ever answered to in this life. I couldn't quite make it out, but it was important.  
  
" Mr. Kaiba!" Someone yelled. My head snapped up.  
  
" What?" I asked. My voice seemed far away.  
  
" Mr. Kaiba, are you all right?" my limo driver asked me. I looked up at him.  
  
" I'm fine." I said, although I doubted that myself.  
  
" We're at the hotel, sir." The driver told me.  
  
" Thank you very much. Please wait for us." I said distantly, stepping out of the limo and waiting while Sarah and Lauren climbed out. I rubbed my temples gently, trying to soothe away the pain.  
  
" What happened in there? You went white as a sheet all of the sudden." Sarah asked, looking up at me questioningly. Lauren stood by patiently, waiting for my answer. I looked up at the hotel. Yami and Jou hadn't arrived yet, so we had to wait for them.  
  
" I'm not sure." I said, my tone closing the subject from further discussion. At that moment, Yami and Jou both roared up with their respective cargoes, both yelling at the other that he had won the race. You'd think that Yami, as old as he actually is, would have grown out of those games.  
  
" Oh, Ra." Himeko said suddenly. I noted that every person associated with a Millennium Item present had suddenly gone stiff.  
  
" What?" Jou asked.  
  
" Yuki just summoned the Key of Ra." Yami said quietly.  
  
After that, we charged into the hotel and found out Zack's room number, which involved my bribing the clerk. Then we were faced with another dilemma. The elevators wouldn't fit us all. So, we divided up into two groups. The first group consisted of Yami, Ryou, Anzu, Sarah, Honda, and Jou. The second group was Yugi, Bakura, Mai, Lauren, Himeko, and myself. Both groups would be pretty tightly pressed for space, but we decided we could handle it. The first group went up on the first elevator we got, the second on the next one. And Zack's room was on the sixth floor, so it was a long ride up. Especially since Himeko was crammed against me in a very uncomfortable position, and I was very conscious of it, and Bakura kept giving me dirty glares. I was glad Yami wasn't on this elevator. What's more, my headache was just getting worse. I couldn't have been happier when the elevator doors slid open and we all sort of fell out. But, my dumb luck, I fell on top of Himeko. At Yami's feet. With Bakura right next to me. I think the only reason I avoided the beating of my life was because Yugi and Ryou decided right then that we needed to find the room in question. That, and the fact that at the moment we all managed to stand up again, a blood-curdling scream rang through the hall.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I winced. I could spiritually sense my big brothers and sister approaching. I had no doubt that they would be accompanied by our other friends. And judging by the alarming rate they were moving at, they had reason to believe I was in danger. I sighed. I had very little time to perform. My hand curled unconsciously around the key that had appeared there.  
  
Key? Can you hear me? I requested mentally.  
  
What is my mistress's bidding? I was asked in return.  
  
Could you cleanse my friend? An evil spirit has taken shelter in his body. I explained.  
  
The procedure would be risky. Your friend might die. the Key responded. I sighed again.  
  
" Zack?" I asked out loud. He looked up at me questioningly. " I might be able to help you. But it's very dangerous. You might not survive." I said.  
  
" Do it. Please." Zack said instantly. " Anything is better than living like this. Even death." He told me. I winced.  
  
" I don't want to hurt you." I said.  
  
" Yuki, if you care about me, then you'll do this. You have no idea what it's like to have something totally alien inside your head, taking control as it pleases, doing what it pleases, and being helpless to stop it." Zack said. I shook my head.  
  
" I've got a better idea than you might think." I muttered. " Don't ask." I said, before he had the chance to do so. I held up the Key of Ra. " My little friend here is gonna give me a hand."  
  
" Pretty toy." Zack commented.  
  
" I wish it was just a toy. You might want to sit down. This isn't going to be pleasant for either of us." I instructed. " We haven't got much time." I muttered, to myself.  
  
" Yuki, it knows what you're going to do. It's trying to take over me!" Zack cried. My reflexes are amazingly fast. But I barely reacted in time as Zack's features began to mold. I raised the Key so that it pointed directly at him and felt the energy surge through my hands into the golden item. And Zack screamed.  
  
Zack and I sort of became one in those few moments. I saw all the pain and horror he had endured since I had left, and he saw everything I had dealt with. He saw that the scar on my cheek didn't actually come from an accident, and I saw that the spirit that took him over sometimes purposely hurt Zack's body. I saw and knew everything about him in that moment, and he did the same with me.  
  
The next thing I consciously knew, I was laying on the floor, looking up at Himeko and Anzu and Mai as they leaned over me. I felt, and I must have looked, dazed and disoriented.  
  
" Zack?" I asked dazedly. There was no answer. I blinked to focus my eyes, becoming aware of who was around me. " Where's Zack?" I asked Himeko. She didn't answer me, but her eyes flitted to some place out of my line of vision. I pulled myself into a sitting position and saw all the guys leaning over Zack's limp body. All sorts of worries flashed through my mind as I leapt to my feet. Did I overdose him with my energy? Did I accidentally expel both souls in the body, or worse, only Zack's?  
  
" Is he dead?" I asked quietly. Seto was the only one who looked up at me.  
  
" I don't know." He said honestly. Yami sighed.  
  
" His soul is exhausted. He's not dead, but he won't be waking up for a while." He said. " Kaiba, you can relate to him right now."  
  
" I can?" Seto asked, looking at Yami.  
  
" The other spirit in Zack's body fused with his own. When Yuki expelled that spirit, she, in a sense, cut a part of his own spirit away. He'll be in a coma for a while. Bring back memories, Kaiba?" Yugi asked. Seto nodded.  
  
" Yeah, it does." He said shortly. He didn't go into detail, instead smiling at me, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave them a tight squeeze. " Don't scare me like that again." He told me. I only smiled. Then I noticed someone else standing in the door.  
  
" Sarah! Lauren!" I cried joyously, dashing over and hugging them both while all three of us shrieked with laughter and happiness.  
  
Zack woke up two weeks later in the hospital, groggy and with few memories of what had happened. He did, however, know that I had saved him from a fate worse than death. He and Sarah and Lauren stayed with us for a few more days, before boarding a plane back to America. It was a sad day for me, to see all three of them go. I would miss them, and the innocent part of my life they represented, before I knew what I was and what I was destined for. Before they went, though, I did tell them everything. All the secrets and all the pain. They all accepted what I had become, although, as Himeko told Bakura so many times, I wasn't the same person I had been, and our relationship would never be the same.  
  
I learned something with that incident. The ending isn't always happy, and sometimes there is no Prince Charming to slay the dragon and carry you off into the sunset. Sometimes you have to slay your own dragon, and sometimes you have to carry the heaviest burdens yourself. Zack and Sarah and Lauren learned more than they ever wanted to know, and it changed them. I have changed since they last saw me. According to them, my eyes had lost a lot of the sparkle, and my skin was paler. I was a shadow of the bright, athletic girl they had known. For me, every minute weighed me down like a full day. The time was beginning to add years that I hadn't earned to me. I had changed, and I knew I wasn't done changing. I had barely begun. By the time I was done, would the people of my past even recognize me? Would the people of my present recognize me? Would I recognize myself? I was afraid of the answer.  
  
And even as I smiled and laughed and went to school, I knew the truth. The truth that wouldn't make itself known for years to come. I'm the mistress of the Key of Ra. Time is mine to see, and sometimes, when I'm doing one thing, other things happen. And when I was expelling Zack's demon, I saw some of his future. He had a happy life waiting for him. He would do his best to forget what had happened to him, and he would succeed. He would marry a sweet girl named Kayla, and together they would raise two children and live their days out happily. But I also saw my own future, or at least some of it. I know I forgot a lot of what I saw when I blacked out, but I saw enough to know my days were numbered. I saw myself, years in the future, sitting at a bay window, looking out onto a rolling ocean. I was thin and pale, and though I couldn't have been older than thirty-five, I had the frailty of an old woman. My eyes were sunken and hollow. I leaned my head against the glass and closed my eyes, sighing. A man's hand rested on my shoulder and I smiled softly. Then I breathed softly, and my shoulders slumped. I died.  
  
That is the truth I live with. I'm dying. The price I pay for being what I am is my life. Slowly I'm dying. But no one else knows. I don't tell my friends, and I never will. It's better if they don't know. So I set out to enjoy my life as best I could. I smiled and laughed and pretended it wasn't happening. And I didn't see Zack and Sarah and Lauren for a long time after they left. And now, I know it was better that way.  
  
*+*+*  
  
A/N: End of the Zack mini-saga. Lots of foreshadowing in this part. ^_^ Some of it won't come into play for a while, but some of it will be put into action right away. Thank you all for the reviews! I feel so loved! Okay, this saga didn't come out as well as I hoped it would. Oh well. The next one will be better. I promise! 


	16. Throbbing

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Sixteen... Throbbing  
  
A/N: And so begins a new saga! Credit to Clover Calerica for the ideas and inspiration! In this saga, past and future will collide in an epic quest for revenge and love... Wow, did I actually write that??? Okay, on a lighter note, I have now been sixteen for a month, and I have yet to see my license. v_v Oh well. I'll get it, I swear! Mommy Dear won't take me to get the stupid test... Alrighty, on with the fic!  
  
  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I lay awake in the dead of a crisp fall night, listening to the wind making the trees whisper restlessly. I rolled over in my bed, which felt cold and empty. I sat up and began to pace around the room, restless and full of energy, too much so for a teenage guy at two in the morning. I had work the next day. I needed to sleep. But sleep just wasn't going to cooperate with me tonight.  
  
So I crept out of my room, wearing an old white tee-shirt and a pair of baggy sweat pants. I tiptoed barefoot to the wing of the Mansion the boys called their own. The first door was Yoshi's, and I pushed it all the way open and peered in. Yoshi was sleeping on the bed with his head at an odd angle, and all the covers kicked off. That didn't surprise me at all. What surprised me was that the kid was still in bed. Yoshi sleepwalks, and he rarely stays in one place all night long. I crept into the room, replaced the covers, and gently got his head out of that awkward position. I didn't want him to have a crick in his neck the next day.  
  
The next room was Mokuba's. I peeked in to find Mokuba sleeping soundly, cuddled up with a stuffed toy I think Bakura won for him at the school carnival. Also on his bed was a stuffed puppy I had given him for his last birthday, among other things. I smiled. Mokuba had lived a relatively happy childhood. He couldn't remember either of our biological parents, and I had made sure our adoptive father never bothered him. It was probably his ignorance that protected him all his life. He didn't know and he didn't ask, and everyone was happier that way. Someday, he would ask all the questions I knew he wanted to ask. The real question was, would I be able to answer them?  
  
I crept over to Yukio's room. Out of all the boys, I worried about Yukio most, as did Yuki. Yoshi and Mokuba were both growing to be as bright in the classroom as Yuki and I, and Yoshi was already shaking off the innocence that Yuki kept. But Yukio was different. He didn't wear the bright blue eyes that marked Yuki's family aside from herself. His eyes were deep brown with emerald green around the pupil. His blonde hair was thinner than either Yoshi's or Yuki's. He was more physically active than Yuki or Yoshi had been at his age, less into reading books or playing video games. He, like Yuki, had an astonishingly good memory, but he preferred to use it to remember the rules of outdoor games. He would be a sports- oriented guy as he grew, which was okay with me. The problem was that teachers and people, by the fifth person from our household, would be expecting high academic performance, not just good physical ability. And Yukio just wasn't that type. For the moment, however, he was sleeping peacefully with a plastic baseball bat, probably dreaming of all the home runs he would hit in a future only he could see.  
  
I sighed, watching him. What I wouldn't have given to go back to that world where candy was the ultimate reward and all that really mattered was how high you could swing on the swing set and how fast you could run. Now, I could feel the weight of the present bearing down on me, and each moment that passed added more.  
  
Eventually, I tiptoed away from the boys' wing and moved on to the area where Yuki slept. Her door, as usual, was closed but not locked. So I opened it and crept into the room. Despite the chill, she was sleeping only under a sheet, and the moonlight from her window fell over her, lighting her serene features. She, like her brothers and sister, gave off a majestic air that made you respect her. Yuki's room in her old home had once been the basement of the house, converted into a room for her. So cold didn't really bother her very much. She actually couldn't sleep if it was too warm in a room. She lay there on her side, her head resting on her elbow, her sides rising and falling steadily to her own rhythm. I knelt beside her bed and sat there, studying her features with earnest, committing every tiny bit of her to memory. I had this urgent feeling in my heart that I only had so long... Yuki was my heart and soul. She meant so much to me. Judging by the movement of her eyes under her closed eyelids, she was dreaming. I wondered what she saw in her dreams. As terrible as her reality can be, it must be hard for her to come up with good nightmares, I thought. And as I wondered, I remembered a night not unlike this one, a long time ago...  
  
*+*+*Seto's Flashback*+*+*  
  
I put my hands behind my head and lay there on the floor of Yuki's room, restless yet unwilling to move and wake Yuki. I rolled my head and looked at her. She slept on her side so that she was facing me, half-way curled into a ball. She only slept under a single tee-shirt cotton sheet, despite the chill in the fall night air. I smiled softly. Yuki's home was like a private getaway for me, when the pressures of my own life grew too tremendous. Yuki was normalcy, she was stability. And best of all, she was my best friend. The only one I could truly count on. Sure, I had Mokuba. But he was just a little kid. I was only fourteen. I was staying at Yuki's house for a while, claiming to be recovering from my adoptive father's death. Even though it was my fault. I pushed those thoughts from my mind.  
  
I had only told Yuki what had really happened that day on the executive level of the office. Because I knew that only Yuki would understand. No one else could be trusted. And when I told her, she sighed, took my hand in hers, and said, " You did what you had to do." My smile broadened. If everyone else in the world shunned me, then at least I had Yuki. The man who she chose to love would be the luckiest man alive.  
  
" No, oh please no!" Yuki suddenly cried in a muffled voice. My head snapped over to look at her. Her face was scrunched up in an effort in her dreams, and she lifted her arms as if to shove something away and shield herself in the same motion. I lifted myself from my sleeping bag and sat on her bed.  
  
" Yuki, wake up!" I cried softly, shaking her shoulders gently.  
  
" No, don't touch me!" she cried, jerking away from me, still asleep.  
  
" Yuki, it's Seto..." I said helplessly, my voice trailing off.  
  
" Don't make me go..." Yuki moaned. I sat in helpless silence as she curled into a ball, her head clasped between her hands. " He'll only hurt us... That's not Seto, I know it! No!" Yuki screamed, her eyes flashing open. For a split second, they flashed in the moonlight and I thought they looked golden. But only for a second. Her red-violet eyes landed on me and she cried out. " No!" she cried, scooting away from me. She almost fell off the bed, but I reached out and grabbed her.  
  
" Yuki, it's me!" I cried. She looked up at me, fear and terror on her face and in her eyes. I had seen someone else look up at me like that before. I tried not to think about it.  
  
" Seto?" she asked tentatively. I nodded. She flung herself into my arms, hiding her face against my chest. My heart thudded in fear and a new emotion I couldn't quite place. " Seto!" Yuki cried happily.  
  
" Had a nightmare, huh?" I asked.  
  
" Yeah." She murmured.  
  
" What was it?" I asked.  
  
" You know, I don't remember." She said, looking up at me. We both laughed...  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I sighed and leaned my head down on her bed, trying to soothe away the throbbing I knew too well. I let out a sharp cry as the pain intensified. My head hurt constantly lately. All I knew sometimes was pain, and echoes of voices I recognized and didn't at the same time. And always there was another voice calling to me without saying my name.  
  
I made my way back to my room and collapsed on my bed, writhing in pain.  
  
" Resistance is futile. I will triumph in the end." A familiar voice whispered in my ear. I turned to see who was there, but there was no one. My eyes widened, and I wondered if I was going crazy. That seemed like the likeliest reason. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd heard voices. " You and your feeble reasons. When will you realize that some things are better left unexplained?" the voice asked, louder and causing much more pain. I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to respond. Just go away, I begged mentally. After that, I passed out.  
  
I woke up the next morning, exhausted, in pain, and sprawled out on my bed. I sat up, cold and hungry. My head was silent, if not painful, and I was glad for at least that much. The tiniest movement and sound caused intense pain. I was so glad it was a Saturday.  
  
So I lay there for what must have been a few hours, willing myself not to slam my head against a wall to make the pain go away. Trying not to start screaming and blubbering like a baby. Then I heard the door opened, and winced at the throbbing as I turned my head. Yuki had crept into the room, watching me warily.  
  
" I'm awake." I managed to whisper, closing my eyes so I wouldn't cry with the pain. Yuki didn't say anything. She seemed to sense that any noise on her part would have sent me reeling into pain once more. She smiled softly and tiptoed over, and then sat gently on my bed, careful not to make any noise. I closed my eyes and lay there, concentrating on remembering to breathe, which I had found often dulls the worst of any pain. I eventually became aware of soft fingers drifting over my face, through my hair and over my closed eyes. I sighed, remembering once when I was still very little... Yukio's age, maybe. I got very sick. I don't know what it was, but it was bad. I had a very high fever, and all I could do was moan and lay in bed, shaking. I couldn't eat because anything that went down my throat just came back up forty-five minutes later. My still-living mother sat beside me for at least two whole days, gently touching my face and chest, her cool touch soothing away the aches and pain wherever she touched me. She sat there in silence, just stroking me, even when I slept my fitful sleeps. And her touch somehow made me feel safer, stronger. I breathed in sharply, returning to the present. Yuki's fingers reminded me sharply of my dead mother's. I clung to that thought. Anything but the pain.  
  
What did my mom look like, I asked myself. I was startled when I realized I couldn't remember. I had been about Mokuba's age when she died. I don't think I ever did tell Mokuba that she died giving birth to him. If I were him, I wouldn't have wanted to know anyway. I furrowed my brow in concentration, feeling Yuki's fingers dance lightly over my cheek. What did my mom look like? I had her eyes, someone told me that once. But I looked more like my father, with dark brown hair and my basketball player build. Mokuba looked like our mother. Black hair? My eyes? Suddenly, I remembered. A picture of her. It was in my desk drawer. I had to see it.  
  
" Yuki?" I croaked.  
  
" Yes, Seto?" Yuki responded softly, a single finger of hers resting on my chin.  
  
" Could you go get something from my desk? The top drawer on the left. A picture frame, black with gold designs on it." I whispered. I felt Yuki stand and, despite her efforts at silence, I heard her opening the drawer. She came back and pressed something hard, square, and about twelve inches tall and six inches wide into my hands. I opened my eyes and lifted it so that I could see it.  
  
The frame was as I had described it to Yuki. It was made from real ebony, with real gold laced through it to make curling designs. In the frame, though, was what held both my own and Yuki's attention. It was a picture of a woman, about twenty-five or so. I remembered that my mom had died a young death. She had black hair, wild like Mokuba's, but it only made her prettier. Her eyes were vivid blue, like mine. Her face had Mokuba's gentle look. I blinked. I was looking at my mother. In the picture, she was sitting with her hands folded in her lap, smiling happily at the camera. I could tell that she had been slim and well-proportioned. My father once told me, before he died, that he met my mom in high school. That she was quiet and incredibly smart. She was the one sitting in the corner of the classroom with her nose in a book, and he was the guy sitting on a desk joking with his friends. And yet, they had both seen past their difference and to the love that was meant for them. I sighed and put the picture back in Yuki's hands, and she inspected it closely.  
  
" Your mom?" she asked softly. I nodded. " She's pretty." She told me. I smiled.  
  
" She was, wasn't she?" I asked. Yuki smiled at me. " You reminded me of her for a moment." I explained. Yuki nodded and continued to stroke my face.  
  
" What hurts?" she asked finally. I still refused to think about the pain.  
  
" My head. But it feels better now." I told her. Yuki frowned.  
  
" Maybe you should see a doctor, Seto." She said.  
  
" There's no point. I get headaches all the time." I said.  
  
" But they don't get so bad that you skip work!" Yuki cried desperately. I moaned and gripped my head when the pain came roaring back. " Sorry." Yuki whispered.  
  
" I'm fine, Yuki. Don't worry about it." I said. But I was worried about it. Very worried.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
" Thanks for coming along, Tepe." I said, smiling up at Tepe as he walked beside me. Just in front of us, Yoshi, Yukio, and Mokuba were talking about what kind of books they wanted to get from the library.  
  
" No problem. I never turn down a chance to spend time with the munchkins." Tepe said with a smile for me. I grinned back.  
  
" Why couldn't Yuki and Seto take us?" Yukio asked, whirling around to face Tepe and I.  
  
" Seto wasn't feeling very well this morning, and Yuki needed to take care of him. So she asked me to take you." I explained.  
  
" My big brother never gets sick. He's tougher than Superman!" Mokuba exclaimed. Tepe avoided a confrontation for us all.  
  
" I see an ice cream shop! Let's go get some!" he cried, speeding down the street. The boys and I had to race to keep up with him, and even so, we found him at the shop grinning happily and telling us he'd beaten us. Yoshi and I didn't think it was a very fair race, but Yukio, Mokuba, and Tepe were just happy to have some ice cream. And so, with our cones in our hands, we started off down the street again to the library. Halfway there, we met Yami and Yugi, who were heading in the same direction. Apparently, Yugi had decided to get some research for an essay our composition teacher had assigned us done, and decided Yami could do with some studying as well.  
  
" Remember, this is a library. You have to be quiet." Yugi said.  
  
" We know, Yugi!" Yoshi cried in exasperation. Yugi smiled.  
  
" I wasn't talking to you three. I know you know how to act in the library. It's the other three I'm worried about." He said, looking pointedly at Yami, Tepe, and I. We all went in to the library soon after, laughing softly about some argument that had developed, surprisingly, between Yami and Tepe.  
  
I looked around myself, thoroughly confused. Yuki had asked me to find her a few certain books, but I had gotten myself very lost. Thank Ra, for at that moment, I spotted a librarian. Her dark brown hair was done up in a bun on the back of her head, save for a few strands that managed to escape and framed her face. Her eyes were also brown, like cool, freshly polished cherry wood. She was putting a few books away on a shelf.  
  
" Excuse me!" I called softly, jogging up to her. She looked at me expectantly.  
  
" Can I help you?" she asked, giving me a hard look, as though likening me to someone else she had seen.  
  
" Um, I'm looking for some books for my little sister. She's at home taking care of a sick friend, and she asked me to find these." I said, handing the librarian the slip of paper Yuki had written her choices on. While she looked at them, I read her nametag. It read Perl. Funny way to spell it, I thought to myself.  
  
" Well, I just started here, but I can tell you you're in the entirely wrong section." Perl told me. I let my shoulders sag.  
  
" Boy, I'm not good at this." I said. Perl smiled tolerantly. When she smiled, though, I noticed she couldn't have been much older than me.  
  
" You don't come to the library often?" she asked me.  
  
" No. My little sister is the big reader. If I ever want to read a book, I ask her for one." I explained.  
  
" I see. Follow me." Perl said, leading me off. " The books you want to find will be here," she said after a moment, gesturing to a few aisles labeled Fantasy/Sci-Fi. " Look on the binding for the first three letters of the author's last name, and you'll get along easily. I need to put up a few books a few aisles over, so I'll come back and check on you in a minute." She told me, walking off, shifting the weight of the books she was carrying in her arms. I stared after, shrugged, then plunged in.  
  
Perl came back to check on me a few moments later. I had done so well as to find a few of the books I was looking for, but had managed to thoroughly confuse myself yet again.  
  
" Are you a hopeless case, or just lacking of common sense?" Perl asked me with a laugh.  
  
" Maybe both." I told her, making us both laugh. And right then, Yami poked his head into the aisle.  
  
" There you are! I escaped from the study maniac and the kids are ready to go." He told me, darting into the aisle.  
  
" What about Tepe?" I asked, forgetting about Perl for a moment.  
  
" I said, the kids are ready to go." Yami repeated. I jerked my arm from his grip as he tried to haul me off.  
  
" Honestly, Yami! Why can't you just get along with him?" I asked angrily. Yami sighed.  
  
" Himeko, this is hardly the time or the place..." he let his voice trail off as he spotted Perl. I turned around to find Perl staring at him. " Can I help you with something?" Yami asked, his voice tainted with annoyance. Perl jerked, shoved two books into my arms, mumbled something about having to go somewhere, and hurried off. But not before I noticed the bright red blush on her cheeks. I elbowed Yami in the ribs, grinning.  
  
" Looks like someone's got an admirer." I said smugly. Yami rolled his eyes. In the process, however, he spotted a section of books on music and darted off. I laughed and went to find Tepe and the boys. I found them sitting in the storytelling area, with several other kids gathered around, Tepe in the center. He was making wild gesticulations as I approached, and I decided that the boys must have talked him into telling them a story and the other kids had come to listen. I knew firsthand that Tepe could tell an incredible story. He gave the story he told life as the words rolled off his tongue. I leaned against a wall and watched him. His eyes were just as I remembered them, dark, bottomless brown with that dangerous, ambitious glint. Yami once told me he looked like a hungry fox. I could see how Yami had come to that conclusion. Tepe did have a hungry look about him, the look of an ambitious man who knew what he had to do to make all his dreams come true. Ryou once said he was like Cassius from the play Julius Caesar. He was lean and observant and ready to put himself in power and do what ever it took to get himself there. But he also had a certain sincere quality about him. Something that didn't let you doubt what he said. He was blunt and to the point about everything, completely lacking of tact.  
  
" Earth to Himeko! You alive in there?" Tepe asked me. I blinked.  
  
" Done telling your story?" I asked.  
  
" Yeah, they asked me to come back next week and tell some more. The kids loved it." Tepe said, grinning. Yami arrived right then, struggling under the load of books he was carrying, with Yugi at his side, carrying a few books himself.  
  
" What happened to composition, Yami?" Yugi asked. I noticed that all the books Yami was carrying had something to do with music. I snickered.  
  
" Screw composition. I want to study a different sort of composition." Yami said. " Think they'll let me check all these out?" he asked. Yugi chuckled.  
  
" You can check them out on my card, but we'll have to get you your own." Yugi said. Tepe then started teasing Yami about the books, and Yami told him no uncertain terms that at least he had an amount of taste. Which started an entirely new argument. The boys, Yugi, and I ignored them as we checked out. I noticed though, as we left, that Perl was standing nearby, nearly hidden behind a stack of books on a cart, watching Yami.  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
I scribbled furiously on a piece of paper, trying in vain to copy down all Ryou's notes from history class. It was my own fault. The teacher just kept going on and on and on... I fell asleep. And now we had a big test coming up and I had no notes to study. And Ryou told me I could only borrow them until six. The current time? Five thirty. And as for Yugi, my supposed "light," he said I shouldn't have fallen asleep and it was just too bad. I didn't dare borrow from Honda or Himeko, who both kept notes well but had illegible handwriting, and Jou, Mai, and Bakura all needed theirs too much. Kaiba kept good notes, didn't need them too much, and had almost immaculate handwriting, but he hadn't been at school for the past few days, do to some mysterious illness. As for Yuki, she doesn't take notes. She memorizes everything she hears and reads without a problem and never needed to take notes. And I only just barely talked Ryou into letting me borrow his. So I had to settle for what I had, and copy down everything I could.  
  
I scribbled away, something about the French Revolution. I wasn't really learning what I was writing. I would read it and learn it later. But right now, I just had to get it down.  
  
" Ow!" I cried, shaking my arm to work out the writer's cramp that had developed. I did manage to get it all, with time to spare. I sat up straight, trying to stretch all the stiff muscles in my back, and let my mind drift to more pleasant things that had nothing to do with kings and queens getting beheaded. I knew what it was like to be a ruler in a restless time, and I could relate all too well to the king the textbook told of. I was in the Kaiba Mansion, and I stood up as the clock struck six. Yuki was in the kitchen, snacking on an apple. I didn't bother eating, just returned the notes in question to Ryou, who was explaining some mathematical formula to Bakura and Jou.  
  
" It isn't that hard, you two! Look, the calculator does it all for you, all you have to do is put in the numbers. See, the square root of y two minus y one squared plus x two minus x one squared. All you have to do is substitute in the numbers, like that, and then you just press enter... See? How hard was that?" Ryou asked.  
  
" Whoa, how do you tell which number goes where?" Bakura asked. I rolled my eyes and left before Ryou could launch into a lecture. Yuki came out after me.  
  
" How's Kaiba?" I asked her. She winced.  
  
" He says his head never stops hurting, even when I give him all the pain killers I can. But he won't let me call a doctor." She told me. She sighed. " If it doesn't get better tomorrow, I'm calling a doctor, and I don't care what he says. I'm worried."  
  
" You're the lady in charge." I said, smiling at her. " If anyone asks where I am, tell them I went to the library to return those books and get some new ones." I told her, pulling a jacket on over my leather tank top. It was cold outside, and a leather tank top did not seem like the best thing to be wearing alone.  
  
" And where are you going?" Yuki asked me, giving me a smug look, which I returned.  
  
" To the library, to return those books and get some new ones." I repeated. Yuki punched me gently on the shoulder.  
  
" You? Go to the library? You've got to be sicker than Seto!" she cried, placing the back of her hand on my forehead as though to check for fever. I brushed her hand away, patting my pocket with my other hand to make sure I had my keys.  
  
" Take care of him, Yuki." I told her, stepping toward the door.  
  
" He couldn't be in better hands." Yuki told me good-naturedly, starting up the stairs to Kaiba's room. I highly doubted there were more capable hands for Kaiba to be in as I stepped out into the chilly fall day. It would soon be an American holiday called Thanksgiving. Yuki was determined to celebrate it, and she wouldn't let any cook do it for her. She had already bought a huge turkey and was stocking up on items.  
  
I drove to the library, thinking of snow that would be falling soon, and Kaiba's illness. In Mokuba's words, Kaiba was like Superman. The thought of him being sick was like Superman dying of a bullet wound. It just didn't click very well. And yet, Yuki would come down the stairs telling of how any noise sent him into convulsions, how he complained of nightmares he couldn't remember when he woke up, and about how voices kept calling to him through the haze of pain in his mind. It worried me. Jou and Honda both agreed that it simply seemed that all the stress Kaiba lived with was getting to him. If that was the case, then we might be able to help him. But if it was what I feared... Then Kaiba may not have a snowball's chance in hell.  
  
I pulled up to the library and hurried in, eager to get into the heated building. Once in there, I found a secluded table and set down with a notebook and a book of Mozart's works and the reasoning behind them. I began scribbling down notes on how Mozart came up with his works, different techniques he used, and other interesting facts, and soon I lost track of time. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I looked up into a pair of cherry wood brown eyes. I vaguely recognized the girl standing in front of me as the girl who had been helping Himeko when we had come here last Saturday.  
  
I'll admit that one of the reasons I had grown to like the library was that girl. She had given light to my curiosity, which I am not good at controlling. And aside from that, the library gave me a rare bit of quiet that I otherwise never got.  
  
" Excuse me, but we're closing up." She said, careful to avoid making eye contact with me. I frowned. People avoiding eye contact always had something to hide, I've discovered. So I closed the book I was reading, gathered up my things and the books I was going to check out, and started toward the counter.  
  
" Thank you." I called over my shoulder.  
  
" Wait!" she called, pretty loudly for a librarian in a library. I turned and, lo and behold, made eye contact with her. " Um... How's your little sister's friend?" she asked. I gave her a curious look.  
  
" He's not doing very well. We're going to call a doctor for him." I said slowly. " How did you know she's my little sister?" I asked.  
  
" Well, um, you and the other girl, Himeko, looked so much alike that, um, I assumed you were brother and sister." She explained. I frowned again and looked closely at her, but she suddenly looked down to the floor. But I did notice her cheeks were fiery red. I checked out and left after that, but I had something new to ponder. I was once a Pharaoh. Part of that job is seeing through the flatterers to the genuine article. To do that, one must know how to tell when people lie to him. I'm not half as good as Yuki, but I know a lie when I hear one. And that girl, Perl the librarian, had lied to me. And if she had lied to me, then how did she know I had a little sister she had never met?  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey everyone. The last part, for some odd reason, did not contain my author's note in which I wished you all a Happy Halloween. v_v So I hope you all had a Happy Halloween, and had lots of sugar highs... I know I did!!! ^_____^ Well, things are starting to heat up. And if anyone out there knows, cause I really don't, Ra was the god of sun in ancient Egypt, right? So, who was his opposite? If anyone out there knows, please tell me! It's crucial to this saga!!! Thank you for reading and don't forget to click the pretty purple/blue button that says REVIEW!!!! It doesn't take very long, and I had chronic low self-esteem. I need to know I'm appreciated!!! 


	17. Imposters

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Seventeen... Imposters  
  
A/N: Hey all! If I haven't responded to your reviews, I'm sorry! I've been so busy lately, I've barely got any time to write at all. I need you all to know something that just occurred to me. Himeko's name in Egypt was Isis, and there's a character in YGO named Isis! Just know, that for now, when I say Isis, I probably mean Himeko. That just occurred to me last night. Boy, do I feel stupid! Thank you all for your support!  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I sat in silence, my fingers running up and down Seto's chest, watching his face contort with pain. Several times over the past few days, he had begged me to kill him. His eyes had been wild with pain, and he begged me to have mercy, to end his life... His exact words were, "Before he gets me." I didn't know what to do. He asked repeatedly to see the picture of his mother. I think it soothed him. It had gotten worse, over the past few days. At first, he could ignore it and carry on a calm, quiet conversation. He could even bear to talk to a few people at once. But now, breathing too hard made him twitch in pain. He screamed a lot. And I blinked furiously, desperate not to let him know how scared I was, even more desperate to control my tears.  
  
" Yuki..." he whispered. I raised my hands and pressed my fingers to his lips, to let him know I was still there and to urge him to be quiet. He began to slip into sleep, and I was thankful. It was one in the morning, and I was exhausted. But more importantly, when he slept, he wasn't in pain. I stretched out on the bed, happy to know that for at least a little while, Seto wasn't hurting. Then, I laid down beside him.  
  
I thought about some of the things Seto had said, sometimes mumbled in a fitful sleep, sometimes screamed in the worst of his pain. He repeatedly begged for death, I had become used to that. But it was the other things he said that scared me. He spoke of something trying to work its way into his mind, or worse, someone. Sometimes, he would scream in such a way that I knew his words couldn't be meant for me. He would scream things like, " I won't let you!" or " Leave me alone!" and once, " I don't care if you kill me! Just go away and leave us alone!"  
  
Repeatedly I had scanned his body with my sixth sense. I knew there was something supernatural hovering over him, but it always pulled away before I could detect it. It made me angry. Seto was obviously fighting something away from himself, and I was unable to help him. I hated feeling helpless.  
  
And with those thoughts floating through my mind, I soon drifted into a tortured sleep, not noticing that at some point during the night Seto became quite still and peaceful next to me.  
  
The next morning, I awoke suddenly, my eyes flashing open with a sudden sense that something was not right. Sunlight drifted through the windows in Seto's room, and the computer was off. But what frightened me most was the quiet. There wasn't a single noise, no moaning or restless turning. I sat up and saw, much to my shock, that the bed next to me was unoccupied. I gasped and leapt out of bed.  
  
" I'm fine. You can go back to sleep." A voice told me. I wheeled around to find Seto standing there in the door of his private bathroom, buttoning up a dark blue shirt. I stared at him.  
  
" But, you..." I said, my voice trailing off. Seto smiled strangely at me.  
  
" I know. It just vanished this morning." He said. I cocked my head curiously. He sounded like Seto, he looked like Seto, but at the same time, he wasn't Seto.  
  
" Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I asked.  
  
" I'm fine." He insisted. " Actually, I'm starved." He told me with a winning smile, brushing past me on his way to the door. I followed him, not as enthusiastically, watching him closely. His gait was more swung out, not stiff and formal like the Seto I knew. He looked almost curious about his surroundings, investigating everything. And finally, he looked almost expectant, looking for someone. He was talkative at breakfast. He seemed almost giddy. I kept silent, watching him curiously. Mokuba and Yoshi kept asking if he was okay.  
  
" Seto." I said slowly.  
  
" Hm?" Seto mumbled around a mouthful of toast. Seto never talked with his mouthful.  
  
" You're late for work." I told him, studying his reaction carefully.  
  
" Work?" he asked, looking confused. " Oh, work! Guess I lost track of time while I was sick. Thought it was Sunday." He said, forcing a laugh.  
  
" But, Seto, you work on Sundays." Mokuba protested quietly.  
  
" Sorry, I forgot." Seto said, swinging his long legs out of the chair and grabbing his briefcase and another piece of toast simultaneously. He was out the door without even saying goodbye, leaving the boys and I staring after him.  
  
" What's the matter with him?" Yoshi asked me. I didn't answer, staring after Seto. What was the matter with him?  
  
" Go get ready for school." I said at last. The boys all climbed out of their chairs obediently and ran off, leaving me alone in the kitchen. It was like Seto had transformed into an entirely different person. My expression hardened as I stood there.  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
I stared hard at the notes I had scribbled the night before for history, trying to will the facts to imprint themselves in my brain as the teacher called roll.  
  
" Yami Motou?" I vaguely heard someone call. I didn't respond. " Mr. Motou?" the same someone called, a little more urgently. I was busy trying to memorize how to spell that queen's name. " Yami!" My head snapped up.  
  
" What?!" I snapped back. The class broke out into laughter, and Yugi poked me in the back.  
  
" I was just wondering if you were here, Mr. Motou." The teacher said, her voice bordering on anger. I gulped.  
  
" S-sorry. I'm here." I said. The class laughed again. Soon after, she passed out the tests. And I almost had a heart attack, trying to figure out most of the answers.  
  
" So how was the history test?" Yuki asked me at lunch, casually taking a swig from her can of pop. I slammed my head on the table we sat at.  
  
" That bad, huh?" Mai asked.  
  
" It wasn't that hard at all!" Yugi protested.  
  
" That's what you say, squirt." Bakura grumbled. I raised a hand and pointed at Bakura.  
  
" I agree with him! That teacher is demonic! I swear, she has it in for me!" I cried, lifting my head up.  
  
" This from the moron who fell asleep in class." Himeko said casually. I shook my fist at her, and swiped the remainder of her candy bar. She didn't seem to care anyway. At that point, the last member of our group, Kaiba, set down.  
  
" Who else thinks they flunked the history test?" he asked. Bakura, Jou, and I all raised our hands. " Okay, just so long as I'm not alone in that."  
  
" You actually think you failed a test?" Honda asked in disbelief.  
  
" Yeah, I do. I've been sick for the past few days, incase you've forgotten." Kaiba said. I looked up at Yuki, who was staring at Kaiba with a hard expression. So I wasn't the only one who thought he was acting weird. I waited until after lunch to talk to Yuki about it.  
  
" Do you think Kaiba's acting weird?" I asked her. She nodded curtly.  
  
" He just woke up fine this morning. He won't stay near me long enough for me to scan him. He's almost eager to get away from me. And he forgets stuff that he should know. Like when school starts, what time he leaves for work, Yoshi's birthday... That kind of thing." She told me.  
  
" So what do you think we should do?" I asked. Yuki shrugged.  
  
" Wait and see, I guess. I mean, we have no proof. And what's more, he just woke up from an agonizing illness. So who's to say he shouldn't be a little off for a few days?" Yuki asked, shrugging.  
  
" Okay... I guess you're right." I said slowly. Then I looked over Yuki's shoulder. And guess what I saw? Himeko, leaning against her locker, with Seto Kaiba leaning over her. Very close. Too close. The way he was smiling at her, his stance, everything about him screamed flirtatious. " But that doesn't mean I don't want to kill him." I growled to Yuki. She looked behind her, following my gaze. I sensed her body go tense as she observed them. She didn't say anything to me, beyond mumbling something about having to get to class as she brushed by me, seemingly in a huge hurry to get anywhere but her current position.  
  
After school, I dropped Yugi and Himeko off at home. Yugi shared Yuki and my suspicions about Kaiba, but Himeko was too giddy and happy to hear anything that had nothing to do with positive things. She was a schoolgirl with a crush. After I dropped them off, I drove to the library, desperate for some peace and quiet. This time, I didn't bother taking a book off the shelf, just sitting down at my little table. I sat there for a long time, my head propped up in my hands, until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up to find that librarian, the girl who blushed every time I looked at her. The one that acted so suspiciously. But as I looked at her, I wondered if maybe I wasn't just being paranoid.  
  
" I'm sorry for bothering you, but you've just been sitting here for almost an hour. Are you okay?" she asked softly. I smiled a little at her and sighed.  
  
" Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure stuff out." I said. The girl sat down at my table.  
  
" Care to talk about it?" she asked. I read her nametag as she sat.  
  
" Perl." I said out loud.  
  
" Yes?" she answered me, giving me a curious look.  
  
" That's a funny way to spell it." I said, indicating to her nametag.  
  
" Oh, that. Yeah, I guess." Perl said, shrugging. " So, what's on your mind?" she asked. I sighed.  
  
" That friend of ours, the one that was sick?" I asked, and she nodded to show her comprehension. " Well, he's better. The problem is, he's not himself. I mean, he's acting really weird. My little sister is really worried about him, and so am I. I just don't know what to do." I explained. Of course, I left out a big part of my suspicions, but Perl seemed to understand me anyway.  
  
" Have you tried confronting him about it?" she asked.  
  
" My little sister tried. But he just insisted he's fine. I know he's not, though." I said. Perl shrugged.  
  
" Maybe he's just having an off day." She suggested.  
  
" Maybe." I agreed vaguely. I didn't think so, but Perl did seem to make me feel better about it.  
  
" Oh, by the way. I noticed that you always read books about music when you come, so I dug this out of the back for you." Perl said, pulling a book out of a bag she had with her and handing it to me. It was a book on the workings of a piano.  
  
" Wow. Thanks." I said, genuinely surprised.  
  
The library became a usual haunt for me after that. I liked Perl. She was a really nice girl. She didn't blush so much around me anymore. We talked about all sorts of stuff, and I felt like I could tell her my problems. Of course, I could never tell her all my problems. She would never truly understand. How could I tell her? That would go over real well. " You see, Perl, I'm actually the soul of a Pharaoh of ancient Egypt who was trapped in a small dismembered puzzle that was recently solved by my reincarnated form... And now, I'm worried that my twin sister's reincarnated form's, who is posing as my little sister, best friend, who's a teenage multi- billionaire, has been possessed by a spirit, possibly from my past. Did you get all that?" And then, how would I explain that I wasn't entirely over my old girlfriend, who I had to kill myself? Thus, I came to the reasonable conclusion that Fate likes to make fun of me.  
  
Two days passed, and slowly but surely, everyone except Kaiba himself became absolutely positive that he wasn't as okay as he claimed to be. However, Yuki replaced him as top on my worry list. She looked like someone who was living her greatest nightmare, hollowed eyes and her already slim figure diminishing. On top of that, I couldn't sleep again at night. I knew something big was coming. Something that had to ability to break us.  
  
So, on a Thursday afternoon, I ran into the library, rubbing my hands together and trying to keep my teeth from chattering. I waved hello to one of the older librarians, who had all become used to my presence, and made my way back to the table Perl and I sat at. She was already there, pouring over a book in front of her. I sat down across from her, and she looked up at me briefly.  
  
" Hey, Yami. How's your day been?" she asked me. I shrugged.  
  
" Same old, same old. Tense. I can't stop worrying." I said. She looked up at me from her book.  
  
" That's not healthy." She told me. I stared at her for a moment before laughing.  
  
" You know, Himeko told me that once when we were younger." I said, chuckling.  
  
" You're going to have an ulcer before you're twenty." Perl said, shaking her head.  
  
" Wouldn't surprise me." I said.  
  
" How's your friend?" Perl asked.  
  
" Same as he was. Strange. Yuki's looking like she's worrying herself sick." I told her.  
  
" Must run in the blood. Worrying, I mean." Perl noted, looking up and appraising me.  
  
" Whatever. Help me out with literature." I requested. In no time, I was so absorbed with what Perl was telling me about some Shakespearean play, I didn't notice how close we were getting, until I looked up. And her face was inches from mine. Our eyes met and locked. I didn't think. I just acted.  
  
Perl reminded me of Mariah, I realized. She had the same sweet, quiet temperament, the same fierce devotion to her loved ones. She had a tendency to start acting like a textbook, but so did Mariah. She even looked a little like Mariah. And I suppose why I was so ready to accept Perl was because of Anzu. I lied to Yugi. Easy thing to do, now that we didn't share a head. I looked at Anzu, and I saw Mariah, and that drove me to madness. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mariah, or maybe it was Anzu... In any case, I lied to Yugi. And that made me feel incredibly guilty. I had betrayed the person I trusted the very most. I hadn't done anything, I hadn't acted on those forbidden emotions. But I still felt guilty. But then, on the flip side, I felt guilty because in a way, I was only using Perl to forget Anzu and Mariah. Which just made me the all-time jerk. So I was screwed no matter what I did. And I live in the moment. Unlike my light, I act first, think and feel later. So I acted.  
  
My hand jerked up and cupped Perl's face with my index finger and thumb, tilting it upward ever so slightly. Then I leaned in, grazing her lips with mine. For a single instant, I was in utter bliss, completely without worries. It didn't matter to me anymore that Yuki was slowly wasting away, that Kaiba might be possessed by a demon, that my Himeko was setting herself up to get her heart broken. And for that single instant, I was happy. And then reality slammed home.  
  
I jerked my head away from Perl, feeling ashamed, guilty, and at the same time, elated. I didn't say anything to her, I just snatched my jacket and keys and ran for the door. And as I drove home, I berated myself, wondering how I would ever be able to look at myself in the mirror, or worse, how I would ever be able to look at Perl ever again. I am such an idiot, I growled mentally. I got home, muttered something that sounded somewhat like a greeting to Grandpa and Yugi, who were watching TV, and ran for my room. And when I got there, I realized Himeko's jacket hadn't been in the foyer. Sudden worry washed over me. Whatever problems I was facing with Perl, they suddenly seemed much smaller.  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I flipped through the channels on the TV, searching for anything worth watching.  
  
" Two hundred channels, and the only thing on is people trying to sell stuff that probably won't even work when bought." Ryou grumbled, glaring at the TV over his book. I grunted in agreement, my mind elsewhere.  
  
My consciousness exists on a plane above that of normal mortals, as does Ryou's, Isis's, Yugi's, Yuki's, and Yami's. I'm sensitive to the abrupt changes of emotion of those I'm close to. I know when Ryou gets scared, I know when Isis is worried, and so on. So, when I felt a sudden surge of emotion, it peeked my curiosity. It was coming from the Pharaoh, which was odd. He usually had pretty strict control of his emotions. I glanced at Ryou, who looked at me. So he had felt it too. Then, as suddenly as it was there, it was gone. I shrugged it off. Everyone has their moments, and that Pharaoh was no different. I was concentrating on that particular sense, so I was very aware when Yuki got frustrated with something, Ryou's confusion with the Pharaoh's sudden burst of emotion, Yugi's jovial mood as he observed something humorous. It's almost as though we have a network between us, each one of us constantly monitoring all the others. We even keep check on the members of our group that can't join the network.  
  
I keep especially stern tabs on Himeko. It's not my business to know her every emotion, but I try to know when she feels threatened or afraid or upset or angry, that kind of thing. Regardless of what she said about us being different people, I still loved her, and I'd be damned before I let anyone hurt her. So of course, I knew when she experienced extreme emotions. Like she was right then. Happiness, and lots of it. I tuned it out, my mind flashing to what I had seen that day at school...  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura Flashback*+*+*  
  
I was walking down the hall, after fourth period, which is right after lunch, juggling my books and jacket. I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to carry all that crap and still get anywhere in five minutes. They sure expect a lot of teenagers these days, I thought grumpily, in their own funny way.  
  
Finally satisfied that I had all my things in such a position that I could at least walk down the hall without killing myself, I started walking again. And, a few moments later, I stopped, right in the middle of the hall. I know exactly where Himeko's locker is. And I check it every time I walk past. But today, right then, I had to be there to witness that sight. I just had to. I cursed Fate under my breath, that it would direct me to see this.  
  
Himeko was leaning against her locker, and she wasn't alone. Standing all but on top of her, his arms leisurely twined around her waist, stooped down so that he could kiss her, was Seto Kaiba. There they were, kissing. Passionately, too. I gritted my teeth and bit back bitter tears that threatened to spill. A flash of golden hair caught my eye, and I looked up to see Yuki standing opposite to me, observing the same damned sight. She looked at me, and our eyes locked. I saw the look in her eyes, even though it was only there for a second. Betrayal. She felt betrayed. By whom, I didn't know. But I could relate to the feeling. In any case, the emotion was gone from her eyes too quickly to do anything but see it. She turned and left after that, desperate to get away. Yuki runs when faced with something like that. She'd just rather not face it.  
  
But I didn't run. I stayed there, staring like an idiot. He had beaten me in Egypt, and now his reincarnated form beat me in this age. I blinked furiously, acutely feeling my heart beginning to break all over again. Didn't all those nights on the Nile mean anything to her? Didn't all the words I had said to her, all the times I had sworn my undying love, mean anything at all? That night, in the house I stayed in... When we made love... Did that mean nothing as well? I jerked myself from the spot and stormed for my next class, forgetting entirely to get the books required for that class. I dropped into my chair, a blank look on my face. I swore to her that I loved her. I gave her everything I had left, my heart, my soul, my love, and it meant nothing. All her promises, all her words... Empty. Just words... I dropped my head onto the desk. I didn't want anyone else to see my pain. If I could just die, it would be the best thing that ever happened to me, I thought miserably...  
  
*+*+*Yami Bakura*+*+*  
  
I sighed. I hadn't told anyone about it. Not even Ryou. I hadn't even spoken to Yuki yet. I had been living a lie, for thousands of years... I blinked, surprised by the urge to cry that welled up in me. Himeko was my world, my life... She was the one I loved, and she was in the arms of another man, letting him hold her, kiss her, love her... If I had known where Ryou hid those damned knives, I'd probably have tried to slice myself open about five times already. So Himeko could just be happy. She could be happy until she dropped dead, for all I cared. Or, at least, that's what I told myself. The fact of the matter was, though, that I did care. I cared very much.  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
If I had any doubts in my mind that Yugi, Ryou, and Yuki weren't some of the strongest people the world had ever seen, then in those two days, I lost them. Those three suffered a reality I had only been able to imagine, in which there was someone else inhabiting their head. At times, that someone else's will and power was overpowering. In Ryou's case, he lived a miserable life, as little more than a tool. Yugi had to deal with his yami's ruthless, killing attitude. Yuki had to control Himeko's incredible rage and emotions. All three of them put their lives on the line every day, just by existing. And I had only been able to imagine how terrifying, how painful their lives were. But now, I knew from experience.  
  
Hearing voices is a little scary. You wonder, am I losing it? Surely I'm going insane. But then, you don't feel like you're insane. But when those voices start persuading you to do things you know you shouldn't do, it gets scarier. And it gets scarier when those voices take up an actual presence in your head. And the scariest of all is when those voices can take you over.  
  
When I laid there in agony, I knew I was fighting a losing battle against my "voice." He wanted me. He needed me, my body, to achieve his ends. And as he forced his way into my head, he began to tell me of his plans. I knew who he was. I knew. And it scared me. I owed the person he wanted to kill. I owed him big time. You see, the person my "voice" wanted to kill was Yami Bakura. And I owed Yami Bakura a debt I could never pay. He saved Yuki's life. And her life means so much more to me than my own life, than anything I own. But it wasn't just Yami Bakura my "voice" was after. He was also after Himeko, but for different reasons.  
  
Still your feeble protests. We've proven time and again that I am the more powerful. You will succeed in nothing but making yourself weaker. he growled at me. Me. Seto Kaiba. Prisoner in my own head. Unable to blink of my own free will. My every thought being read by someone else. My body in the control of someone else. That's right, I rule you. You have no other purpose. he encouraged me maliciously. I sunk away from him, cowering in a small corner of the mind I was once master of. So this was the horror Yugi, Ryou, and Yuki knew. So this was their prison that they knew too well. I'd never be able to look at them the same way.  
  
And he acted as though he was me. I looked through my eyes that I no longer controlled, and I could see my friends suspected something was wrong. Yuki in particular. I begged mentally for her to save me, for anyone to save me. But at the same time, I begged them all to go away. He'd only hurt them. He was bloodthirsty. He sought love, and he would do whatever it took to get that love. Himeko's love. The love he called rightly his.  
  
For two days, I endured a hell worse than the agony. For two days, I listened to the ridicule of another no better than me. For two days, I lived as a prisoner in my own head. For two days, I begged and pleaded for him to leave us alone. For two days, I threatened, bargained, pleaded, begged, and demanded that he wouldn't hurt Himeko or Bakura. For two days, I saw Yuki and Bakura's hurt when he held Himeko with my arms. And for two days, I felt myself slowly dying.  
  
And he sensed it. I was not a Millennium Item holder. I was not a light, or a yami. My body and I were not made to endure that stress. He knew he was running out of time. So he set them up. Bakura was on his way to the mansion. Himeko was with us. Bakura thought he was coming to pick up Ryou, who was actually over at Yugi's with Yuki and the boys. Himeko thought she had come over to watch a movie. Neither one of them knew what he actually had planned. As the Imposter planned to ruin them. And as much as I wanted to do something, anything, I could do nothing.  
  
*+*+*Perl*+*+*  
  
I stared after Yami as he bolted out the door, feeling... Actually, I don't know what I was feeling. Betrayed, guilty... Had I led him on? I didn't mean to. He was a means to an end. I needed him to find my target. But then, at the back of my head, I had this nasty knowledge. He was my target.  
  
I felt the power surge in my veins, and I had to bite my tongue to hold it back. Here I was, an imposter on this plain, planning to... I tried not to think about it. It wasn't Yami's fault, really. How could he know what was in store for him? How could he know what I knew? What I had seen? He seemed like an okay guy in this time... Maybe I had the wrong guy. But the other yami's, it wasn't them. And he was the only one that fit the type. It wasn't really his fault. It wasn't his fault he had to die. For a crime he hadn't even committed yet. 


	18. Passing Time

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Eighteen... Passing Time  
  
  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
" Yuki, are you okay?" Yugi asked me fretfully. I looked up at him from the plate of food in front of me.  
  
" Of course." I lied. No, I wasn't okay. I was never okay lately. There was always something wrong, besides the fact that I felt like I was coming down with the flu all the time.  
  
" You don't look okay." Yugi said stoutly. Stubbornness runs in the blood. I have it, Himeko has it, Yami has it, and Yugi is no exception.  
  
" I'm fine." I insisted. The expression on Yugi's face told me he didn't believe me, and that was fine by me. I didn't believe myself.  
  
" Sure." Yugi said. I looked back down to my food, trying to find the will to choke it down. I knew I needed to eat it. I was weak as a kitten, and weakness was unacceptable. But I just couldn't make myself swallow it. Yami strode into the room suddenly, bringing with him a sense of danger that the room had lacked a moment before. Yugi and I both raised our heads to him expectantly as he stood over us. We were sitting at the kitchen table, and he paced across the room like a caged tiger. I often likened Himeko and Yami to big, powerful cats. Himeko was like the stealthy black panther, mistress of the night. Yami was like a tiger, huge and majestic, with a temper to match.  
  
" Have either of you seen Himeko?" he asked suddenly. His voice had a slight shake to it that was only there when he was frightened for someone he loved. I looked away, unable to look him in the eye.  
  
" She's, um... She's at the mansion. With him." I said slowly, knowing Himeko would be livid with me for telling Yami. Ever since Seto started acting strange, I hadn't called him by his name. He wasn't Seto, and I was sure of it.  
  
" Damn that girl." Yami muttered.  
  
" That's why you came over, isn't it?" Yugi asked. I concentrated on the baked chicken on my plate and didn't respond. What could I tell him? That I was too weak to run a simple scan on Seto's body? That I didn't think I had the strength to watch them make out? That I had come here for lack of any other way to protect myself? Somehow, I thought that Yami and Yugi would be even angrier than Himeko if I did tell them.  
  
" I'm going over there." Yami said suddenly, walking toward the door. I jumped up and ran after him.  
  
" No! Wait! Just leave them alone!" I begged him. Yami would storm in there, fists flying. But then, even as I said that, my sixth sense went crazy. Fear. And lots of it. And, from a source I couldn't identify, anger and aggression. And I felt that, once again, the entire world was collapsing around me.  
  
" Damn it." Yami muttered. I leaned heavily on his shoulder.  
  
" Who's so mad?" Yugi wondered. " I don't recognize the signature."  
  
" It can't be." Yami muttered. " There's not one person that's angry, there's two. And two people that are scared." Yami said. " It can't be..." he repeated, mostly to himself. But I heard him.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
Okay, I admit it. I was a schoolgirl with a crush. And I had it bad. It was a distraction for me. It distracted me from my guilt of breaking my promises with Nen by caring about Tepe, and from my even more painful guilt of breaking my promise to Tepe by loving Nen. I was screwed no matter which way I went. So I took choice C.  
  
Don't ask me what movie Seto put in. I have no clue. The moment he sat down, he leaned over and kissed me. And I kissed him back. And that became a full-fledged make-out session. And yet, in the back of my mind, I couldn't forget Tepe. Every time I closed my eyes and breathed in Seto's scent, I saw Tepe's dark brown eyes, full of sorrow and betrayal. Finally, I could take it no longer. I pulled my head away from Seto. He didn't back away from me, though.  
  
" What's wrong?" he asked me softly. I edged a little further away from him.  
  
" I can't forget either of them." I said, closing my eyes.  
  
" Who?" Seto asked.  
  
" Nen... Or Tepe." I said slowly. Seto didn't respond for a long moment, drawing in a deep, slow breath.  
  
" Himeko, there's something I need to tell you." He said, taking my hands. I looked up at him expectantly as he took a breath and opened his mouth to speak... And the doorbell rang.  
  
" Talk about bad timing." I muttered, slumping onto the couch. Seto shrugged, stood up, walked over to the door and opened it. I watched him as he went. The way he walked, the way he swung his arms, the very way he held his head... It was all different from the Seto I saw in Yuki's memory, winning her a teddy bear at the county fair. Yet, at the same time, it was strangely familiar... I felt like I knew him in a way I hadn't before. The way Yuki knew him. Even though she had expressed a concern to me that she didn't know him since he recovered from his mysterious ailment. That he wasn't the same person.  
  
Now, looking back, I know I was purposely ignoring the signs. They were all there, but I ignored them. I didn't want to see the truth. I wanted to believe that Seto had fallen in love with me. Just like I didn't want to see the truth about other things... You see, the truth hurt. And I was so sick of hurting. I just wanted to find my love, to escape from the guilt and pain. I wanted to love Tepe, but I couldn't forget Nen. I wanted to love Nen, but I couldn't just ignore the promise I made to Tepe. And Nen was dead. And I looked at other girls, girls who, for them, dating was a simple thing of liking a person, going out, and if need be, breaking up. For me, it was something that brought on depression and guilt, not to mention my brothers.  
  
" I'm here to pick Ryou." Tepe's voice suddenly drifted by my ears. Frowning, I stood up.  
  
" Perfect timing." Seto said. I could hear the smile in his voice, even though I couldn't see him. I was still standing in the living room as he and Tepe came in. Tepe's eyes widened a little as he saw me. I turned away as I saw disapproval flash over his face. I remembered him trying to prove to me that he was better than Seto, and thus, Nen. I forced a smile.  
  
" Hi, Tepe." I said. " Bakura." I corrected myself. He gave me a funny look.  
  
" Bakura." He repeated, then shook his head as though to banish some thought. " How are you, Himeko?" he asked, careful to use my modern name.  
  
" I'm fine." I said uncertainly. At which point Seto stepped fully into the room. That's not to say the tension in the room relieved. If anything, it intensified.  
  
" Perfect timing." Seto repeated. I stared at him, everything beginning to finally click into place.  
  
" I'll just get Ryou and go." Tepe said quickly, anxious to get away from the tense atmosphere.  
  
" Ryou?" I asked in confusion. " Ryou's not here." Both Tepe and I turned expectantly to Seto.  
  
" Hmmm... So, the jig is up." He muttered. " Himeko, as I said, I have something to tell you. For one, my name's not Seto, and I would be pleased if you stopped calling me that." He began. Tepe and I both stared. But only for a moment.  
  
" I knew it!" Tepe cried suddenly, taking a step back and pulling me with him. " I knew you couldn't be Seto Kaiba! And I think I know who you really are."  
  
" I'll bet you do." The guy in front of us said, crossing his arms. And then it all fell into place. His habits, his posture, his way of talking... I did know it.  
  
" Nen!" I cried, suddenly overjoyed and dismayed at the same time. Nen smiled at me. With Seto's face. Through Seto's eyes. I suddenly felt angry. " Nen!" I repeated, this time with anger. " What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here! Where's Seto?" I asked angrily.  
  
" Calm down, Isis." Nen said, holding up his hands. I growled at him and tried to storm up into his face, but Tepe held me back.  
  
" No! You tricked me! And what's worse, you tricked poor Yuki! Where's Seto?" I repeated. Nen tapped the head he had stolen.  
  
" He's fine. In here. Quite a reincarnation. He's not as much like me as I thought he'd be." He said. Tepe grinned sadistically.  
  
" They rarely are, I've found." He said dryly. Nen glared at him.  
  
" You can just keep quiet until I'm ready to kill you." He said. Tepe shrugged.  
  
" You're definitely not the first to say that to me. And you won't be the first I've paid no attention to. Or the last, for that matter." Tepe said, stretching his arms over his head. I marveled at his ability to stay cool and keep his front up.  
  
" I never did like you." Nen growled, bristling at Tepe.  
  
" As I recall, you never exactly gave me enough of a chance to see whether or not you liked me, so how could you know?" Tepe asked.  
  
" Tepe, remember what Ryou said about not antagonizing the enemy?" I asked through gritted teeth. Wrong choice of words.  
  
" So I'm an enemy now?" Nen asked, his chest swelling involuntarily. Tepe flashed him a malicious grin. I was at a loss.  
  
" Well, Nen, you steal the body of my light's best friend, you say you're going to kill Tepe, what else can I think of you as?" I asked.  
  
" I was hoping for a little more than enemy." Nen growled back. I strode confidently up to him and watched his expression soften. He reached to touch me. " I've missed you so much." He muttered. I jerked away.  
  
" The fact is, Nen, you are dead. It's as simple as that. I'm not exactly alive by my choice, but I've got a purpose. Her name's Yuki, and then there's all my other friends. I live for them. As long as I have Yuki, and Yami, and Tepe, and Yugi, the boys, and all the rest... Then I've got a purpose. I've got a reason. What's your reason, Nen? Revenge?" I asked. Nen looked straight at me.  
  
" You." He answered, touching my cheek. I could hear Tepe's strained breathing behind me. " You are my purpose." He told me, as I turned away from him.  
  
" I'm trying to get over what happened back then. I'm trying to build a new life. And as much as I care about you, you're not part of that life. You're part of a life that is long over, and it's time for me to move on. Remember what Mariah said? 'Things change, and so do people. Yugi and Yuki need you two. It's all right for you to change. You've been given a gift, a second chance at life, and you're going to change, and you'll probably meet other people to love. And that's all right.' Remember that, Nen?" I asked, wheeling on him angrily. Nen regarded me calmly.  
  
" You and I were destined to be together. And no thief will stop that." He said, shooting a dirty glare at Tepe, who bristled.  
  
" You want me, rich boy? Come and get me." He growled. Nen shoved past me to take him up on his challenge.  
  
" Stop it!" I cried, trying to pull Nen back. But Seto is much bigger than I am, and so, Nen was. He kept going as though I had stood idly by. " Tepe! Don't!" I cried warningly, catching the cunning, almost evil glimmer in his eyes. Nen was never anything more than a mortal. Like Seto, he displayed enormous potential, and he did indeed once have the Millennium Rod. But he was still mortal. Tepe was not. Tepe could send Nen to hell and back in a hand basket and still have more to do.  
  
" Don't what?" Tepe asked innocently, dancing nimbly out of the way as Nen lunged at him. Tepe was once a tomb robber, an occupation that required fleet of foot and even fleeter reflexes. What's more, if Nen could land a punch, Tepe would bounce back quicker than I could blink. That's not to say Nen didn't have his advantages. The body he had stolen was that of a teen who had trained himself both mentally and physically to endure every hardship without so much as batting an eye. That body could take just about anything. He also had the advantage in both weight and height. Seto's, and Nen's, build was made for endurance, but he still had more strength and it suggested. Tepe was outdone there, as well.  
  
" I'll kill you, I swear it!" Nen cried angrily as Tepe dodged him yet again.  
  
" Knock it off, you two!" I screamed.  
  
" You're gonna have to catch me first!" Tepe taunted, side-stepping Nen and dashing out of his arm's reach. I felt the burning of my energy swelling into a small, rapidly growing sphere in my palm. I took careful aim and tossed the small bomb in between the two. The explosion that resulted scorched the floor, and Tepe sported a new burn mark on his leg, but nothing more. If anything, it just shocked them both into silence.  
  
" You're both being immature idiots!" I cried, allowing another energy ball to well up in my hand and shaking it at them dangerously. Assault is my talent. I have the more subtle abilities involving my enemies' souls, but I'm better at assault. While everyone could only assault at full force, I can control the energy in the assault. It takes a lot of training and a tremendous amount of control, but it's worth it. I can give you a jolt so tiny you wouldn't know if it weren't for the prickling of your hair, or blow China sky high. Not as strong as Yuki, but far more controlled. " Tepe, if you dare put his soul in an inanimate object, I swear I'll... I'll either blow you up or never speak to you again!" I cried. Tepe grinned sheepishly, his reaction when he knows he's done something wrong, or come close. " And as for you, Nen..." I threatened, turning on my heal. " You know you're not supposed to be here! Now give Seto back his body! Hurry up!" I demanded. Nen stared at me.  
  
" Just like that? You want me to go?" he asked, sounding hurt.  
  
" I want you to give Seto back his body!" I elaborated.  
  
" What about-" he began, but I interrupted him.  
  
" Those things are good for a trip down memory lane. I care about you, Nen, and I always will, but obviously, it wasn't meant to be. I'm sorry. They're memories. I'll always cherish them, but they're memories." I said, gazing sadly at Nen. I loved him, in a special way. But now I knew... I didn't love him in the special way. It wasn't meant to be. He had his place, and I had mine. Mine was here, among the living. His was among the dead.  
  
" What if I don't want to go? What if I've taken a liking to this body?" Nen asked defiantly. I looked at him with a sad expression.  
  
" Then I'll have to make you go. We both know that body can't support both you and Seto for much longer. Leave him alone, Nen. Leave us alone. Let us live." I pleaded. Nen gave me the saddest look I had ever seen.  
  
" I don't want to let you go." He whispered.  
  
" If you don't let me go, then I'll live out the rest of my life as a captive. I need you to release me." I whispered back. Nen was silent for a long time, Tepe forgotten behind us.  
  
" I release you." Nen said at last. I felt the weight of all the promises, all the guilt, all the pain, lifting off my shoulders and I breathed in gratefully. " But I'll never stop loving you." He added.  
  
" And I'll always love you. But... Some things just aren't meant to be." I said.  
  
" I guess I'll go, then." Nen said, rubbing his left arm like he always did when he was nervous or upset. " You know, it's my fault." He added suddenly.  
  
" What's your fault?" I asked, thoroughly confused.  
  
" All that stuff... between you two... It's my fault. I, um, met this traveling tribe in the market place, burying their chief. He had white hair, and he looked an awful lot like him..." Nen said, nodding to Tepe, who breathed in sharply. " Older, maybe. Definitely scrawnier. He died of malnutrition. Apparently, he'd been sick most of his life anyway. They said his little brother had been banished, and he had no heir. I gave them some money and took the body, and I showed it to Ammon. I told him that I found it out in the desert. Told him it was the tomb robber's." I stared at Nen, then at Tepe. So the body, the one that I couldn't believe was actually Tepe's, wasn't his at all. It was actually his older brother's...  
  
" Thank you." Tepe said suddenly. Nen and I both looked at him. " Thank you." He repeated. " Now I know how he died." Nen shrugged.  
  
" Just remember, I'll always be watching over you." Nen told me. Then, the familiar look in his eyes vanished, replaced by an even more familiar one. Seto collapsed on the ground.  
  
Tepe and I dragged him up to his room and laid him in his bed. Soon after, Yami and Yugi and Yuki and Ryou all arrived, yelling and angry. We explained everything to them, and Yuki practically raced up the stairs to check on Seto.  
  
" How are you doing?" Tepe asked me later, stepping out onto the porch. I looked at him over my shoulder, then turned back to the night sky.  
  
" Fine. Just thinking." I answered.  
  
" About what?" Tepe asked, sitting down next to me. I smiled at him.  
  
" Oh, everything. Wondering how I fit into the grand scheme of things. How we fit. Trying to figure stuff out." I answered. Tepe smiled back.  
  
" Trying to do the impossible." He said knowingly.  
  
" I guess. It sure isn't working." I said with a laugh. Then I looked at the sky again. " You think he really is watching over me?" I asked.  
  
" I know he is." Tepe answered automatically. I never had to explain what I meant to him. He always seemed to know. " There's one thing that guy and I have in common. We both love you. And I know that if I was in his place, I'd be looking in to see how you were doing every chance I got." I smiled, looking down at the ground.  
  
" I know what you want to ask." I said quickly. " And I still don't know, Tepe. I'm so confused. Maybe we should just both try to move on. What's in the past is in the past." I said. Tepe sighed.  
  
" Now I know how Nen feels." He muttered. " Whatever you think is best. So long as you know, you'll always be Isis to me." He told me.  
  
" And you'll always be Tepemkau." I answered, smiling.  
  
" Can we at least be friends?" Tepe asked. I leaned on his shoulder, still smiling.  
  
" Always." I murmured. He stroked my hair and we sat there, oblivious to the fact that Yami had driven off into the night, knowing somehow that the next danger of the night was for him to face alone.  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
I was the only one that still sensed danger. The relief on Yuki's face was immense, and Ryou and Yugi were both happy it was over. Himeko and Bakura went out onto the back porch together, and for once, I didn't want to go rip them apart. So I slipped out of the mansion and drove off into the night. I felt scared, apprehensive, and yet... I also felt excited. I always did right before I went head to head with danger. It's the part of me that likes the danger, the thrill. It's the part of me that gets carried away in the heat of battle. It's the part of me that doesn't mind killing.  
  
I groaned as rain started to splatter on my windshield, and flicked the wipers on. Rain. Great. I never did like rain. It was wet, and often cold. And I grew up in Egypt. Dry and warm were the standards. And I liked those standards. And rain would only make it harder.  
  
Time is a tricky thing. Some tiny thing you do now, one little word you let slip, can change your world, your life, can change everything. And then, when you try to plan, you can't ever try to factor in all the things that could happen. So much can happen. There are so many possibilities. There's no way to accurately predict the future, because so many things can happen between today and tomorrow. You just never know... But that doesn't mean you can't live your life out huddling in a corner of your room, because that affects your future too, and bad things can happen because of it. You just have to get out there and try to do the best you can, and hope that it will all turn out okay in the end. You try your best, but even then, bad things happen. Sometimes, your "good" decisions can go and blow up in your face. Sometimes it seems so pointless. Then you think about the good things that will happen along with the bad things, and it makes it worth doing. But because time has a way of turning all the best things around, it's impossible to see what's next.  
  
So as I drove down the road, peering through the rain, there's no way I could have known... No possible way. If I had known, maybe things would have been different. But no one can really know the future. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone charging in there without any help. But I did. I wish I could tell you everything turned out just fine. But that's not exactly true. All I knew as I cursed the rain under my breath was that I was in for another heartbreak. I trusted her. I did. But that was a mistake. Now, one of us would die. And I knew I wasn't going to let it be me without a fight. And it was all because I broke down and thought that maybe I had a chance at getting over my past. But it would always come back to haunt me. Only this time, it had taken the form of my future.  
  
  
  
A/N: Well then. If that made any sense at all to you, you're special. I wrote it and I barely get it!!! Five hundred points to anyone who can guess who Yami's talking about! Tune in for the next part, goodness knows when that will be. Oh yeah, I'm giving you a fair warning. A certain someone (you know who you are ^_^) has given me a great amount of info on Egyptian mythology. Turns out, Ra is pretty overrated. Therefore, the Key of Ra will probably soon be making a name change. I'll make it fit into the fic alright, no worries. Just give me some time. ::Sigh:: Now, I'm going to bed. I'm going to a concert tomorrow. I won tickets on the radio!!! ^_^ 


	19. Twisting Time

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Nineteen... Twisting Time  
  
A/N: I'm soooo sorry for the long wait! I'm fighting off writer's block so please please be patient. I'm really trying. In the mean time, somewhere in the next two weeks, keep your eyes open for a really dumb, really sappy, romantic "experiment" from me. ... What? I need something to keep the mean writer's block away!!! I hate the stupid thing, I really do. But I can't stop writing on it!!! It's an obsession! It's also a yaoi. v_v I'm experimenting. So leave me alone. Anyway, please be patient and don't come after me with torches and pitchforks!!!  
  
  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I smiled softly at Seto as he slept. He looked so peaceful there, so without worries. When he slept, he seemed safe and happy. Soon he would wake, and he would smile at me and get on with his life in spite of what he had gone through. That was part of our life. Bad things happen. The trick is to get up the next morning and get on with it, despite all the bad things. Seto was good at that. He stirred softly and I smiled again. Here was my friend, my best friend. He had stood beside me always, always there for me, always supporting me in my time of need.  
  
I remembered the night my mother died. In sorrow and despair I dialed his number, desperate to hear his voice across the distance that separated us. When he spoke, he was soothing and gentle. I knew no one else heard him speak like this, save Mokuba. I sat down on the bed, absorbed in my own thoughts. When Yami Bakura came raging in with the intent of taking me captive, didn't Seto try to come to my rescue? When Machiko was about to slit my throat, wasn't it Seto's voice that woke me up? Now, in the face of his own threat, I wondered what he had done to try to protect us all from Nen. So much suffering... What was the point? So many people suffer every day, so many children cry. What was the point? All the death, the pain, the blood... It was all pointless. And my own life... Cut short because of something I can't control. How many more people would cry needlessly? What was the point of living if you're only going to die?  
  
Seto groaned beside me and I snapped from my morbid thoughts. He smiled at me as he rose to full consciousness.  
  
" What time is it?" he asked groggily. I looked at his bedside clock.  
  
" Almost ten at night. Relax, everything's fine." I murmured softly, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.  
  
" That was scary. Is that what it was like? Someone always there, just taking control?" he asked suddenly. I sighed.  
  
" Yes, that's what it was like. It is scary." I agreed, remembering the terror when Himeko first took control, both my own and hers. I took a deep breath to quell the unreasonable fear that rose up. Then I felt it. First, it was Yami's absence from the immediate area that alarmed me. Then, it was a presence, not far away, that attracted my attention. All conscious thought ceased. I was attracted to that presence like a moth to a candle. I needed to be near it. I had never felt anything like it. An unreasonable attraction, as undeniable as breathing. I rose from the bed and walked out the door, Seto's cries falling on deaf ears.  
  
*+*+*Perl*+*+*  
  
I could feel them approaching. She was coming. The one I had been waiting to meet. Yami called her Yuki. Yuki. The one I was waiting for. One of the two I was searching for. I wondered, was she the past form of... I wondered what she looked like. Like Himeko? Did she have Yami's majestic eyes? Or perhaps she didn't look like them. Excitement bubbled up inside of me in the form of butterflies in my stomach. I felt the undeniable attraction. The attraction of one power to another. The attraction of one of ours to another. The attraction that marked our kind.  
  
*+*+*Yami*+*+*  
  
I almost wrecked, when I saw her. Perl. Standing in a field on the side of the road, staring out into the darkness expectantly. I slammed on my brakes, and I was out of the car before it completely stopped.  
  
" Perl!" I cried, wiping the stinging, almost frozen rain off my face. She was dressed in her normal skirt and button up shirt, completely soaked. I ran up to her and shook her shoulders, my earlier apprehension forgotten. " Perl! What are you doing out here in the rain?! You'll catch your death!" I cried, trying to pull her to my car. I was shocked when she didn't even budge. Her gaze was strange, sort of detached. I turned suddenly, sensing someone else approaching us. " Yuki!" I cried, both relieved and even more frightened. " Yuki, what the hell is going on here?" I asked. But even as I spoke, I saw the golden tint to her eyes, gradually growing stronger with every step she took. Perl started walking as well. They both walked toward each other, stopping every few steps to observe the other. " It's like a ritual. An acceptance ritual." I realized. Finally, the two started to circle each other, neither one breaking the eye contact. They completed three counter clockwise circles, always going slowly, neither one seeming to acknowledge the driving rain that was making me quiver viciously, and both of their gazes locked on the other. It was a ritual, every movement with its own special meaning. Finally, as they completed the third circle, the two stopped. They both raised their left hands and approached each other, until their hands almost touched. Then they both stopped, as though having a moment of doubt. Finally, they both seemed to steel themselves, and, in unison, they took the final step and pressed their hands together.  
  
The boom was deafening. It wasn't a true noise, but I felt it all the same. I felt like someone had wrenched my soul from my body and wrung it out, stretched it, and sliced it to shreds. Like someone had inflated it until it burst. There's not much that can rival that kind of pain. Thousands of miles away, other Millennium Item holders or past holders later told me that they too felt that boom. Back at the mansion, Himeko, Yugi, Ryou, and Bakura all were knocked off their feet. Every single person I knew of that had anything like my abilities felt the same pain. And I could only imagine it from Yuki's point of view.  
  
When true awareness returned to me, I was lying on my back, rain splattering on my face. I was disoriented and still trying to deal with echoes of that pain. I let out a string of curses, all in Egyptian. When I did finally manage to get to my feet, cold, wet, and muddy, the sight that greeted me wasn't exactly warming. Standing about ten feet apart and opposite each other with a large circle of barren, smoking earth between them, was Perl and Yuki. What kept me from barging in there, I'll never know. Instinctively I knew that this was a ritual, pre-ordained since before time. No matter what I did, they would continue. This was their purpose, their destiny.  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
Have you ever been around a plane that just did a sonic boom? Think about that huge boom that rocked your insides. Now try to multiply its force by about a thousand. You're still not even close to the force of the boom that hit Ryou and I as we sat calmly in the living room of the mansion. It knocked us both over. Right off the couch.  
  
The pain was unbelievable. Colors exploded in front of my eyes, even though I had squeezed them tightly shut. And even though I instinctively curled into a ball to protect my gut and clenched my head in my hands, it wasn't a physical pain. My soul, my essence, my very being felt like it was being run through a press and then one of those slice and dice machines. Flashes of images, faces, snatches of conversations flew through my mind, even though I was far from comprehending anything other than the pain. I vaguely saw my mother, whom I could barely remember, holding me.  
  
When I snapped out of my funk, I was laying on the floor, curled up into a ball. The entire mansion had gone silent. Then, the back door slammed open. Ryou and I nearly had heart attacks as it did. Himeko and Bakura stormed into the room, both of them randomly babbling, Himeko in Egyptian and Bakura in a language I didn't recognize. Finally, Himeko remembered to speak Japanese.  
  
" What... What... What the hell?!" She finally managed to ask. I shook my head numbly, too dazed to do anything else. Bakura said something in that strange language, and Ryou said something in English. No one was really thinking. It took about five minutes for everyone to calm down.  
  
" That was freaking scary!" Ryou shrilled. I nodded enthusiastically.  
  
" Forget scary. I thought I was dying. Again!" Bakura cried.  
  
" I was wishing I would die and be done with it." Himeko muttered.  
  
" What the hell was that?" I asked.  
  
" I've never felt anything like it!" Himeko protested angrily. She was scared. We all were, but yami's, I've noticed, tend to react to fear with anger.  
  
" God, I thought someone was carving me open." Ryou muttered, leaning heavily on the couch for support.  
  
" Better question. How do we find out what the hell that was?" I asked. Himeko gave me a withering look.  
  
" When something makes that big a boom, where does it usually come from?" she asked. " My dear little light." She added dryly. " Someone must have pissed her off really bad. I don't think she's ever done anything like that before."  
  
" We'd better find her." Bakura said dutifully. And at that point, Kaiba came tearing down the stairs, struggling to pull on some socks.  
  
" Kaiba! What are you doing up?" I asked.  
  
" Yuki just walked out the door! I think something's wrong with her!" he cried. I wondered if he had felt the boom.  
  
" Hey, where's Yami?" Himeko asked suddenly. Everyone froze.  
  
" May whatever gods there are have mercy on our souls." Bakura said finally.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
When I was in pre-school, there was this boy who was bigger than me. He picked on me and stole my cookie at snack time. He called me wimpy and scaredy-cat. At first I did what Mama always told me to do and I ignored him. Then he started hurting me. When I came home, trying to hide a black eye from my parent, Papa took me aside to talk to me. I remember because Papa was rarely home, and I didn't often see him. He told me that it's good to try not to fight. But sometimes, the other person refuses to be ignored. Sometimes, like the boy at school, they won't stop until the person they're being mean to, like me, either fights back or gets really hurt. Papa told me that I was being a very good girl, trying not to fight, but he and Mama didn't want me to get hurt. So, the next day, when the bully came to hurt me, I fought back. It wasn't much of a fight, and I didn't win. It was more like one of those frantic dust balls you see on cartoons. I got sent to the principal's office and I got punished, but not as bad as the bully did. And he never picked on me again. But best of all, I felt good about myself, because I fought back.  
  
Then, when I was in junior high, there was a girl in my grade that nobody liked. For the first few years, I couldn't figure out why nobody liked her. She was nice and pleasant. She wasn't like a lot of the other girls in our grade, who were too busy flaunting their new-found sexuality to be nice to anyone that wasn't of the opposite gender. Then, when I was in eighth grade, Zack told me that all the other kids teased her and were horrible to her because her dad was an alcoholic and her mom had to work two jobs to support the family. I didn't think that was fair. It most certainly wasn't her fault. Zack had to explain it to me a few times before I had it down. Why people are mean to other people is beyond me. I just can't grasp the concept. There was one particular cheerleader who was notably more vicious to the poor girl than the others. One day, she told my friend that she would grow up to be a prostitute like her mom. My friend cried and ran from the room. I didn't know what a prostitute was, and I'm still not exactly sure. But I figured it must have been bad. That night, I went over to my friend's house, even though it was small and often smelled of alcohol. It was quiet, and I thought it must be because her father was passed out on the couch and she didn't want to wake him up and make him mad. I went into her room, which had once been a storage closet, so there was a rod across the room where coats had once been hung. I found her there. She had hung herself from the rod. Her mother and I were the only ones that came to her funeral. Zack and Sarah waited for me outside the funeral home, but they didn't go in. The police found her mom a week later, dead from a self- inflicted wrist wound in a back alley. I decided then that I would never let anyone hurt my friends ever again, whether it be emotionally or physically. I went to school after her funeral, and for the first time in my life, I took revenge. It wasn't for me, it was for my friend. I beat the snot out of the cheerleader who had been so mean. I cried as I beat her up, and I told her I hoped she hurt as much as my friend hurt. I hoped she never stopped hurting. They suspended me from school for three days, on counts of provoked assault. When Seto asked me why I did it, I told him that no one had the right to make others hurt so much.  
  
Hurting is pointless. I shouldn't have beaten that girl up, even though it was her fault that the world lacked one wonderful girl and a loving mother. I know that. But I did. Pain and death... They're all so pointless. Life seems pointless, if you're only alive to put new people in your place and die to make room for them, so they can do the same and carry on this never- ending pointless cycle. And in the back of my mind, I knew my own life was cut short. I was robbed. Would I even be able to bear children? And my friend, the girl everyone hated for no reason... What was the point of her death? What was the point of her pain? Destiny is a joke, I realized. There's just no point. There are people out there who think they're better than everyone else, that they have the right to judge. No one does. It's just so pointless, and it makes me feel so empty.  
  
Maybe that's why I plunged headfirst into that battle. I was looking for something with a meaning, a point. And it felt right for me to fight this fight. Even though I wasn't willing to admit it right then, destiny was no joke. There was a point to this.  
  
I'm different. I'd accepted that fact. I'd accepted the fact that I was not like anyone else, and I was never going to meet someone like me. I was never going to meet another person who knew what it was like to hold that Key in their hands. I was never going to meet someone who knew the power. So you can imagine how it rocked my world when I touched the brown-haired girl's hand.  
  
I was told later that the boom was enough to shatter a soul. But I didn't feel it. I felt something soft, gentle. I felt another soul. A soul like mine. A soul with power. The contact between us was a bond. But with that bond came knowledge. It was our purpose to always seek each other out, to look for each other, and to do battle. To test each other and discover who was stronger.  
  
" The Judge..." The girl murmured. I gave her a curious look, aware for the first time since I had left Seto's room. We had ceased the contact. Too much would kill us both, we both knew that without being told.  
  
" Who are you?" I asked, tensing myself. I sensed danger here. I knew a fight was coming, and she wouldn't catch me by surprise.  
  
" My name is Perl. You're Yuki." She said easily.  
  
" How do you know my name?" I asked suspiciously.  
  
" Yami told me." Perl answered.  
  
" Yami?" I asked, turning my head to see him standing there. Somehow, I had known he was there, although I couldn't remember actually looking over there and seeing him.  
  
" You're the Judge, right?" Perl asked me suddenly.  
  
" I'm nobody's judge." I responded.  
  
" Show me your Key!" Perl requested. I straightened, mostly from shock.  
  
" What do you know about the Key?" I asked.  
  
" I have one too!" Perl explained, exasperated, flashing a golden Key in her hand. I didn't see it appear there, it was just there. As if rising to the challenge, my own Key appeared in my hand.  
  
" I didn't know there was more than one." I muttered, looking down at it.  
  
" Don't you know anything?" Perl asked.  
  
" I know it's the Key of Ra!" I shot back, rising to anger. This girl grated my nerves.  
  
" That's not the Key of Ra! Ra is so overrated." Perl growled. " Let me see it." She requested, crossing the space between us. " You dolt! That's the Key of Ma'at! Who told you it was the Key of Ra?" she asked. I shot Yami my best glare and he grinned sheepishly. Something hard hit me on the head. I saw another Key in my face. Mine was delicate and very ornamental. The Key Perl was holding was blunt and more squared off. " Meet the Key of Set." Perl told me.  
  
" The Key of who?" I asked, thoroughly confused. I didn't understand what was going on.  
  
" Set! You know, the Egyptian god?" Perl cried, angered by my ignorance. I nodded like I understood, even though I didn't. I figured Yami would explain it to me later. Supposing I made it to later. " You're Key is the Key of Ma'at. The Goddess of Judgement. The feather that they weighed people's hearts against on the Scales was hers." Perl told me. " The person who holds the Key of Ma'at is known as the Judge."  
  
" And what are you?" I asked, instinctively fearing her answer. She grinned maliciously as she did answer.  
  
" The Destruction. You're Ma'at's Judge, I'm Set's Destruction." She told me. I shivered. If I was only a judge of some kind, what chance did I stand against Destruction? " There's a Key for every Egyptian God. They can only exist one on every plane. It's impossible for more than one to exist for an extended period of time on a plane with another." Perl went on to explain. I gritted my teeth and steeled myself.  
  
" What do you want?" I asked slowly.  
  
" I came to meet you. And change the future." Perl said. " I always wondered what you were like in this time. Dad just told me you were sweet." She said. I stared at her.  
  
" What?" I asked, not comprehending.  
  
" I'm your daughter." Perl told me.  
  
*+*+*Ryou*+*+*  
  
I had begun to wonder if someone up there liked making a mockery of us. We knew something was wrong. The questions were what and where.  
  
I've always been sensitive to passing time. I'm the kind of person who always has an idea of what time it is, even without a watch. It annoys my yami, even though he finds it a useful attribute when both of us forget to wear a watch. Yami, Yugi's yami, thinks sensing time might be my talent. Which would be great. A talent is hard to find, and that would make me the first light to have a defined talent. Yugi and I rarely use our abilities, and if Yuki has a talent, she can't control it.  
  
So it makes sense that I felt time being distorted. Something was not right. Time had been twisted back in such a way that it wasn't natural. You see, time, like everything else, exists in planes. Layers, if you will. And it doesn't flow constantly in one direction, like the common assumption says. It flows outward, like a tree, each branch going off into new branches. Every choice we make takes us onto a new branch, and possibly onto a new plane. There are planes of existence out there where people live and exist just like this one. There might even be another me there. But something is different because one person made one different decision. With that knowledge, it's common sense to say that there are infinite plains, right? Wrong. There aren't infinite plains. But there are a whole lot.  
  
Aside from my sense of time, I was picking up large amounts of energy being given off not too far away by two people. One was most definitely Yuki. She shows up as cerulean blue on my scans. I was also picking up a familiar disturbance nearby. I was used to sensing only five other people with abilities like mine. Now I was sensing eight. Scratch that. Nine. Another one just popped up. And another. That made ten other people. I couldn't believe it. Four new, unknown people with abilities were slowly drawing closer to Yuki and Yami's location. And in Himeko's book, that was cause for panic.  
  
" Yami's car is gone!" she cried, running in out of the pelting ran, her wet hair clinging to her face. It was easy to why my yami thought she was beautiful. I'd always thought of both Yuki and Himeko as very beautiful girls. And even soaking wet, Himeko was still a picture of grace and beauty. Not sense.  
  
" Well, Himeko, if Yami goes anywhere, how does he get there?" Kaiba asked, annoyed. " He drives." He answered himself. It was good to have Kaiba back, the way he was supposed to be. The markings of exhaustion were plain on his face, but he still managed to be his sadistic, morbid, easily annoyed, yet somehow calming self. No matter how bad the situation, Kaiba was never panicked. Shocked, angry, perhaps even a little scared, but never panicked. And that coolness, the calmness, seemed to calm the people around him. Himeko was calming down because of him.  
  
" I'm-I'm j-just so s-scared!" she moaned. " I h-hate this stupid s- stutter!" she added angrily.  
  
" Well, anyone know how to operate a car?" my own yami asked, sheepishly grinning.  
  
" Oops. I was s-supposed to read th-that manual, wasn't I?" Himeko asked. Yugi laughed sheepishly.  
  
" Me too." He agreed. " I totally forgot to read the manual for the test."  
  
" I haven't actually got a license yet, but..." Kaiba said, trailing off his voice.  
  
" Good enough! L-let's go!" Himeko cried, running out into the rain again.  
  
" At least she didn't pass her impulsiveness to Yuki." I mumbled.  
  
" Obviously, you haven't seen Yuki plan a meal." Kaiba told me. Finally, we all managed to pile into a Rolls Royce Kaiba got from goodness knew where. It wasn't exactly a comfortable fit either. Those cars were made for luxury and style, I discovered, not for carrying five distraught teenagers. And Kaiba was driving. Now, don't get me wrong. Kaiba drives fine. He was actually a very good driver for someone who had never driven without a licensed driver in the front seat. The problem was, he was just a mortal, and had no scanning sense to help him navigate. And it was very dark. And rainy. And the roads were slick. And since everyone scans differently, Himeko, my yami, Yugi, and I were all yelling out different instructions. Kaiba pretty much tuned Himeko out, because she was yelling contradictory things like "G-go left! Go r-right! S-stop! Go!" and all that. My yami was no help either, because half his breath was spent calming Himeko down. Yugi, in the front seat, and I, crammed against a window in the back and constantly getting elbowed in the face by my larger yami, ended up coordinating our efforts and did eventually get us all to the field where the unknown powers of the world were beginning to gather.  
  
I sensed power. Himeko and my yami both fell silent. Even Kaiba had to feel the prickling in the air, the crackling energy. There had never been a gathering like this. And so few were visible. I could see Yami, and through the rain, vague shapes moving. Yami turned to see us and motioned for us to be quiet. We approached him, all of us walking on our tiptoes. Everything was silent. Everyone in the clearing was waiting for someone else to make the first move. Just sort of feeling everyone else out, trying to figure everything out. Someone stepped on a stick and it cracked, and everyone jumped. Clear across the field, a girl yelped. In the middle of the field, Yuki was face to face with another girl, with brown hair. Both of them were soaking, but so was everyone else. Lightning flashed, lighting up the shadows for one brief moment. Flashes of blonde hair, grayish eyes, white cloth, and gold met my eyes. I blinked, sensed the power and the danger that came hand in hand with it, and moved closer to my yami. Something big had just happened. I studied Yuki's face through the rain as best I could. It was blank and her eyes were wide, as though someone had just delivered a great shock. There were whispers to my left, but when I looked, no one was there. Yami growled, pulling Yugi and Himeko to him protectively.  
  
" The powers of your time and plain are gathering, Mom. What are you going to do?" the brown haired girl asked.  
  
" Mom?" I whispered incredulously.  
  
" Last I checked, she was just a sister. Not a mom." Yugi muttered. Yami hushed us all. It was a long, thick silent moment before Yuki responded.  
  
" I don't believe you're my daughter." She said quietly. " And I'll prove it. If anyone can beat me, my daughter could. So let's go!" Yuki cried. And the battle that would shape the world began, right there, in a flash of lightning. And all the while, all of us in the field crept close to each other, including the hidden people. Eight pairs of eyes remained glued to the two in the field, in awe. There was more to be revealed. More secrets, more betrayals, more lies. And the battle had only just begun.  
  
  
  
A/N: Wow. That was really pointless. I didn't want to start the battle yet. I wanted to make everybody sweat. Did I? A new contest! No one got the five hundred points from last time. v_v So, here's your new question! For five hundred points... If Perl claims to be Yuki's daughter, then why does Yami have to die, according to Perl? And if that's too hard, here's an easier one... Who are the people in the shadows? Count 'em up and use your YGO knowledge! Well, don't forget to review and tell me what you think. This saga coming to a close, and I think I've got a pretty good mini-saga. Of course, you all will be the judge of that. Till next time!!! 


	20. Never Mine

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty... Never Mine  
  
A/N: Wow!!! Part Twenty! I can't believe it! This fic is doing so well! ;_; Thank you all so much for your support and help!! I think this fic is my masterpiece! And I'm so sorry about the long wait. I got really sick and I'm still not completely over it. My throat's so soar I can barely swallow. I'm also really trying to deal with the writer's block. My new, one shot fic will be coming out soon, be sure to read it and flame me because it's so sickeningly fluffy. I'm welcoming the flames for that one. See author's note at the bottom for distribution of points for the quiz.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
Power is drawn to power. Negative to positive, and just like how a negative electron is drawn to a positive proton, one person with negatively inclined power is drawn to another person with positively inclined power. But not for love or friendship or anything like that. In the case of a yami to his or her light, it's for completion. Himeko and I are drawn to each other, her negative to my positive, because we're two halves and we make each other whole. We have a bond outside of that, but speaking in supernatural terms only, our only bond is the fact that we complete each other. The other reason positive and negative are drawn to each other is to do battle. Those kinds of battles have been carried out since before recorded history. That was why Perl, the negative, and I, the positive, were drawn to each other. To fight. To see who was stronger. And it had to be me, I knew that without being told. It just had to be me.  
  
Every movement before the actual fight, every tiny gesture, was preordained. Something buried deep inside my brain took control of my body, made each little movement. Someone, too far in the past to measure, wrote the script that Perl and I now acted out. But the words, the meanings, the purposes, were all our own.  
  
My daughter... Could it be possible? Sure, someday, I wanted to have children. Could she be my daughter from the future, come back to meet me? No... My contact with my Key had taught me a lot about the passage of time and how easy it was to totally screw it up. Perl, if she was my daughter, coming back to the past just to meet the past version of her mother would totally screw everything up. I shouldn't know if I'm going to have a daughter or a son or any kids at all. Besides... When I looked at Perl, I didn't see myself in her. I saw something... But not me.  
  
I barely threw my mental defenses up in time. Perl threw an assault at me. It wasn't visible, or even really meant to cause harm, but it was meant to shake me up, to test me out. I threw my own energy back out her. Everything was instinct. I'd never had to actually do battle before. I'd become quite used to just cutting loose and unleashing a blast of energy, and always emerging victorious. But this time, that wasn't going to work. And what's more, my attention was divided. The back of my mind was still looking at Perl, trying to figure out if it was true. I wanted to fight, but at the same time... I wanted to talk.  
  
" If you are my daughter, why are you here?" I asked, dancing neatly out of the way as Perl lunged at me. " Why would you fight your own mother?" I wondered out loud.  
  
" I'm here to save you!" Perl cried. I started.  
  
" Save me?" I wondered. Perl stood up straight, her face contorted with pain.  
  
" You died." She told me. Everything went quieter and even more still than it already was. " You died." She repeated. " You want to know how you died? You were murdered. Murdered by someone you thought you could trust." At this point, Perl made another vicious lunge and this time, I couldn't get out her way quick enough. My mind was reeling. Yes, I was dying. I knew that. But murdered? By who? Why?  
  
The battle intensified. Lunges, punches, kicks, and vicious assaults were quickly becoming a harsh reality. I was acting highly off of instinct. I had nothing else to go off of. Perl, however, seemed to be an experienced fighter. Perl and I rolled together over the muddy ground, silently grappling.  
  
There was more to the story than Perl was telling. There was more that I needed to know. But I was scared. Scared of what her revelations might show me about my possible future. Death was a mandatory part of life. My own life was cut short, robbed because of that damned Key.  
  
Anger surged up next to pain as Perl tossed me away from her. I landed in mud. In the darkness and the rain, the moonless, starless night, it was black mud. Smeared over my face and in my hair. But I didn't care. All I cared about anymore was inflicting pain, as much as possible. Specifically on Perl. Pain, hurting, suffering, death... Pointless. Without meaning. My face was wet. I didn't know if it was mud, rain, or tears. A part of me wept pitifully for all the pain I was inflicting. A part of me, the real me, was still intact. Just barely hanging on. But a darker side of me that had nothing to do with Himeko had taken over. I wanted Perl to suffer. I wanted her to suffer like I had wanted that cheerleader to suffer. I wanted to echo all my own pain and frustration on her. I was dying. If Perl was right, even more precious time was going to be stolen from me. I was angry, scared, frustrated.  
  
I love my family, my friends. I wanted as much time with them as I could. And in my heart, I knew that there would be more good times to come. There would be holidays, years from that rainy night, when we, all my friends and family now and some I hadn't met yet, would all sit down and laugh together, cry together. I might not live to see that. I wanted to. I wanted it so much. I wanted to see Yoshi on his wedding day. I wanted to be Himeko's maid of honor. I wanted to be the godmother of Mai's first child. I wanted to see Mokuba on his first day of college. I wanted to see Yukio off to his prom. I wanted to meet the person Yami chose to love. I wanted to be able to look Yugi in the eye without bending down. I wanted to be happy for Honda when he got accepted into some great college. I wanted to be someone's loved one, someone's wife. I wanted to see the face of my own child. There were all these beautiful things that made life worth living, and I might not have them. It scared me, frustrated me.  
  
My anger made me stronger than I had ever been. I fought like a demon. Perl was on her toes, fueled by her own anger. I was scared of her and all she represented. She represented a future where my worst fears were realized. I died in her world. I wondered... There was so much she could tell me.  
  
Power was crackling in the air, making steam out of the falling rain. I felt people I had never felt before. They were familiar, yet they weren't. I felt Yami's comforting, majestic air, Himeko's dangerous aura. I felt Seto's familiarity, Ryou's caring, Yugi's loyalty, Yami Bakura's ferocious devotion to everyone he cared about. I was drawing courage from their presence, their different feelings. At the same time, I was picking up new feelings. Knowledge, a dangerous sense of fun, an air of indifference, and almost innocent wonder.  
  
Was I scared? Hell yeah. I was terrified. In the back of my mind, I knew that I couldn't win the fight when she wouldn't give me space. So, what could I do? I've been told that I can talk a fish out of the sea, coax a bear from his den. So I figured, what harm could there be in trying to get Perl to talk?  
  
" Why are you here? What do you want to change in the future?" I asked Perl, dodging her as she violently tried to punch me.  
  
" I'm trying to save you!" Perl cried.  
  
" And a great job your doing, too. I'll be very safe in the future with you trying to kill me now." I said sarcastically.  
  
" I have to make sure you won't try to protect him." Perl muttered, straightening herself and pushing a few waterlogged locks of hair from her face. Once again, I saw no resemblance between her and I.  
  
" My murderer?" I asked, carefully moving to the side so that any lunge she made wouldn't be directly at me.  
  
" Yes." Perl agreed.  
  
" Is he here?" I asked.  
  
" Yes." Perl repeated.  
  
" Where is he? Who is he?" I asked, still wary. Perl looked at me.  
  
" Your big brother. Yami Motou." She told me. If I hadn't been so high strung, I might have dropped where I stood with the shock.  
  
" Yami? But he would never-" I started to protest.  
  
" Hurt you? Don't insult my intelligence. I saw it, you know. He killed you." Perl interrupted. I stood there, in silent shock, waiting for her to continue. " Think about it. Before you came along, he was the biggest, strongest yami on the block. Then you and Aunt Himeko came along... And all of the sudden, for the first time in his life, he's number two. Second to you." That contorted expression overcame her again. " At first, he loved you like a brother should love his little sister. He protected you and watched over you. When you married my dad, he gave you away like he should. When I was born, he was there with you. But all the time, he had this growing hatred. Until in the end, he couldn't take it any more. You were sick that day. You'd been sick a lot lately. Dad was worried about you. I was in the room with you, and I had fallen asleep with my head on your bed. Then, you screamed and I woke up. I looked up and there he was, plunging a knife into you. He saw me and ran, and when I went to you, you were dead. And then, I inherited this." Perl held up her Key, the Key of Set. I rolled back on my heels. The Key of Set... The Key of Ma'at... Two different Keys... " I made up my mind to go back in time and save you. So here I am. I have to save you."  
  
" Perl, you've made a very grave mistake." I whispered. I didn't move as she shot a blast of energy at me. My legs went out from under me.  
  
" You know, I always wondered if I could beat you." Perl said as she came in to finish me off. Kill me? No. She would be killing herself, in her mind. Knock me out was more likely.  
  
" No! Don't!" Someone screamed, running in between me and Perl. I looked up at her and smiled. Himeko. My protector. My friend. My sister. My yami. " I won't let you hurt her." Himeko growled.  
  
" Move, Aunt Himeko." Perl said.  
  
" Don't call me that! I'm not your aunt! I won't let you hurt Yuki and I sure as hell won't let you hurt Yami. So you can just haul your sorry ass back where you came from and leave us alone!" Himeko snapped.  
  
" Like I said. You made a very grave mistake." I said, standing up. It took a little more out of me than I originally thought. I paused to lean on Himeko, then held my Key out for Perl to see. " You said it yourself. The Key of Ma'at, right? Yours is the Key of Set. Two Keys can't exist on one plane for an extended period of time. So how did I get the Key of Set?" I asked, grinning. Perl stared at me.  
  
" But..." she whispered.  
  
" And Yami, this Yami, would never hurt me. Would your Aunt Himeko have put her life in danger to protect me?" I asked.  
  
" No..." Perl whispered.  
  
" You're in the wrong place, Perl. All night I've been wondering. How can she be my daughter? She doesn't look a thing like me, she doesn't act like me, or talk like me, or anything. Now I've figured it out. You aren't my daughter. You found your way to a plane very similar to yours in the past, but very different. In this plane, my death won't be caused by Yami." I said softly. I was triumphant. The last thing I expected was what happened.  
  
" No!" Perl screamed. And dove. Right at Yami.  
  
Lightning flashed. I'm not sure to this day what happened. All I know is when I woke up, I was laying on my back, and Perl was laying nearby. I sat up. And looked down.  
  
" Oh my God!" I screamed, leaping to my feet. Somehow, I was standing in the sky. Looking down. There was no rain here, we were too high up. Perl sat up and moaned in fear.  
  
" What have you done?!" she shrilled at me. I looked around wildly,  
  
" I- I didn't mean to! It just sort of happened! I really didn't mean to!" I cried.  
  
" Don't you have any control of your powers?!" she asked me. I opened my mouth to reply, but no sound came out. No. I had minimal control of my powers. That was obvious. Perl screamed in rage. " Arrrgh! You've screwed everything up!"  
  
" I didn't do anything!" I cried in protest as she stood up, gripping my Key instinctively. " You're the one who came busting in here, threatening to kill my brother!"  
  
" He's going to kill you!" Perl screamed. I forced myself to my feet.  
  
" No, he's not! You think Himeko would let him?!" I asked.  
  
" She couldn't stop him if she tried!" Perl protested.  
  
" I'm willing to take that risk!" I screamed. " Go away! You're not my daughter!" Perl stared at me, tears forming in her eyes.  
  
" I didn't think you'd like the idea of me coming back to the past to save you, but I never imagined that you'd say that." She whispered.  
  
" You're not. You're not." I muttered. " Look at you, and look at me. We look nothing alike. What does your mother look like?" I asked viciously.  
  
" She's got beautiful blonde hair with red and black bangs, just like yours, and dark brown eyes-"  
  
" My eyes are violet. Red-violet." I interrupted. " The mark of the Egyptian Royal Family." Perl looked into my eyes and then turned away. " Perl, tell me about your mother and father. About how they fell in love."  
  
" My mom starting dating my dad about this time. One night, he spent the night at Uncle Seto's house, and... My mom got pregnant. She had me, and he ran off. I never really met him face to face." Perl told me quietly.  
  
" Who is your father?" I asked.  
  
*+*+*Yugi*+*+*  
  
Anyone who knows my Yami knows he had a pretty bad temper. It's especially bad when it comes to someone he cares about. And right then, Yami was angrier than I had ever seen him.  
  
" What the hell was that about?! I'd never kill Yuki! Never!" he bellowed, frustrated by his inability to do anything but stay where he was.  
  
" Yami, try to calm down." I said quietly. Lightning flashed again, and thunder boomed. I squeaked involuntarily and Ryou ran to Yami Bakura.  
  
" You big baby. It's just noise." Bakura said haughtily. Right then, another huge boom of thunder shattered the air around us. Everyone squealed, squeaked, jumped, or, in my case, sat down and covered my ears. Himeko would have been hilarious if I wasn't so scared. She squealed and ran half way to Yami, turned herself around, ran half way to Bakura, stopped, shook her head, and sat down next to me. Neither one of us cared about the mud. Everyone was muddy. Shadowy people included. And wet. And unhappy. And scared. I looked around myself, trying to figure out where Yuki and Perl had gotten to. They just disappeared.  
  
" Ah!" Someone suddenly yelled. I looked up sharply to find Ryou stumbling in Kaiba, who gave him an annoyed glare.  
  
" What's the matter with you now?" Bakura asked in exasperation.  
  
" I-I... He... It..." Ryou stuttered, gesturing wildly with his hands. " Lightning! And I saw... Him!" he cried, pointing wildly into the darkness. He managed to earn a series of weirded-out stares. " I really did!" he added. I looked hard in the direction he was pointing in. I could vaguely make out a silhouette. Someone was most certainly there. The question was, who?  
  
" Someone you know, Ryou?" Kaiba asked dryly.  
  
" Yes! Yes!" Ryou cried enthusiastically. The person I was staring at shifted nervously. He obviously didn't want to be seen. And Ryou obviously was shocked to see him. Suddenly, a silly grin spread over Ryou's face. " Hi!" he called, waving happily. The shadow guy waved uneasily back. I waved at him politely and he waved back, both of us wary. Yami glared in that general direction. In his mind, anyone and everyone was the enemy. Bakura, however, being the overly curious tomb robber that he is, cannot be happy to leave things unknown. He needed to find out who Ryou was so happy to see. He began the process of steadily creeping in that direction. Shadow guy seemed to expect that and moved appropriately. As far as Himeko was concerned, the person wasn't Yuki or Perl, and therefore not worth her time. Kaiba was mildly curious, but not enough to keep him from looking for Yuki. Everyone was pretty confused.  
  
I'm not really sure what happened. I definitely felt something. Like when someone tears a fabric near you, you not only hear it, but you sort of feel it in the pit of your stomach. It was like that. And then, that funny feeling I had that something had gone terribly wrong disappeared. Everything felt fine. Someone in the shadows sighed. I think it was a girl. Everyone, even Kaiba, was visibly relieved. The tense atmosphere disappeared.  
  
" Look!" Himeko suddenly cried, pointing skyward. Everyone looked up, naturally. It was probably, at the time, one of the strangest sights I had ever seen. Little did I know that within time it would become normal. It was a bubble. A gold-tinted bubble, floating down through the rain from the sky. And as it did, the rain itself began to lighten, to a pleasant, cleansing drizzle. And in that gold-tinted bubble, a single girl sat on her calves, grinning broadly down at us, her bright golden hair and red/black bangs gleaming with the water that rolled off them, her wet clothes clinging to her lithe form, and overall, a joyful girl in a bubble.  
  
Kaiba told me years later that he thought she looked just like the bubble. Fragile and delicate, yet the embodiment of joy, hope, and love. So strong and solid, yet so easy to break. He thought she was an angel riding in a gold bubble down to earth.  
  
The bubble hit the ground and popped, and with it, the spell that had been cast over us was broken. Himeko shrieked, and she and Yuki embraced each other fiercely. Laughter rang out and soon, we were all reduced to a laughing mass of hugging teens. Even Bakura and Kaiba. And unnoticed by us, the people in the shadows slipped away.  
  
*+*+*Yuki-Two weeks later...*+*+*  
  
" Bakura! If you try to get at that pie again, I swear I'll make you eat this spoon!" Mai shrilled at Bakura, waving a wooden spoon at his face. Bakura ducked past her out into the living room.  
  
" You can't keep me out! The Pharaoh's best men and traps couldn't keep me out!" he called. Himeko chunked the dishrag she had been holding at him.  
  
" Out!" she screamed. Bakura laughed and returned to the living room, where the guys were carrying out the age old tradition of guzzling soda, scarfing chips, and yelling at the TV as the guys on the TV all tried to knock each other in the ever-popular game of football. Which I do not, have not, and will not ever get.  
  
" Ah! Hey, is the turkey supposed to do that?" Anzu asked me.  
  
" That's the timer! It's supposed to do that." I assured her, then did a double take at the huge bird through the oven door. " Oh no! It's done!" I called.  
  
" Done?!" Himeko cried. " I'm out of counter space, here!" she shrilled.  
  
" Well, for goodness' sake, put the rolls and the gravy on the table!" I cried. " Am I the only one that's done this before?"  
  
" I had servants to do this for me, thank you!" Himeko shot back.  
  
" I do not cook. I order out." Mai informed me.  
  
" For someone that does not cook, you make a pretty good apple pie." A male voice interrupted.  
  
" Why, thank you. I just followed the recipe Yuki gave me- Bakura!" she cried, going after the former tomb robber with her wooden spoon. " You demolished my pie!" she screamed.  
  
" You made five!" Bakura retorted, dashing into the safety of the living room. " Besides, I told you, you can't keep me out!" he added triumphantly.  
  
" You officially do not get any turkey!" Himeko called calmly.  
  
" I'm sorry!" Bakura pleaded, earning laughter from both the living room and the kitchen.  
  
" Mai! Anzu!" I called, pulling the oven door open. " This bird's a little big. Help me!" The two girls rushed over and helped me heft the turkey onto the counter.  
  
" Wow!" Anzu gasped. " That is one heavy bird."  
  
" I smell meat!" Yami called.  
  
" You stay out of our kitchen, inferior male!" Himeko cried.  
  
" If a tomb robber can do it, so can a pharaoh." Yami reasoned.  
  
" Former, on both counts." Yugi was quick to add.  
  
" You can take the man out of the thievery, but you can never take the thievery out of the man." Yami said.  
  
" You can take the man away from the throne, but you can never the arrogance of the throne out of the man." Bakura retorted.  
  
" For the love of..." Jou muttered.  
  
" Watch it, Jou!" Mai warned.  
  
" Yuki, should I put the apple salad on the table?" Himeko asked me.  
  
" Yeah. Put the corn and the potatoes out too. Mai, why don't you round up those lazy bums? They're going to get louder if we don't feed them." I instructed. Mai rolled her eyes and started into the living room.  
  
" God forbid." She muttered.  
  
" Here comes the casserole!" Anzu called, squeezing past me to the table and setting down the green bean casserole she had prepared. And right then, Yami and Bakura ran into the dining room, both of them determined to beat the other to the best seats. They were followed by the rest of the guys and Mai.  
  
" Which one of you goons is carving that damn bird?" Himeko asked, holding out the carving knife.  
  
" I will!" Honda volunteered.  
  
" I don't think I trust you with a knife." Himeko said, shaking her head.  
  
" That was harsh." Honda said.  
  
" Himeko!" I cried, giving Himeko a reprimanding rap on the skull with my knuckles. " No foul language! Which reminds me... Seto, would you go tell Grandpa and the boys that we're ready?" I asked.  
  
" You hit hard!" Himeko complained.  
  
" Sure. And just so you know, I'm carving that bird of yours." He told me. I smiled.  
  
" Now, I trust him with a knife. In this situation." Himeko said.  
  
" Would you trust me with a knife?" Bakura asked.  
  
" No, Yami's standing too close to you." Himeko said decisively. Everyone laughed as Bakura pantomimed stabbing Yami, who even got into the spirit of it by pretending to be in agony.  
  
" Okay, let's get the turkey out here." I said. Mai and Anzu moaned, but we went back into the kitchen and returned with the nearly thirty pound bird anyway.  
  
" Woo-hoo! Whatta bird!" Honda hollered.  
  
" I think I've died and gone to heaven!" Jou agreed, pretending to faint into his chair.  
  
" I don't see Mai in a bikini, so you're still alive." Yami said with a snicker that Bakura joined him in.  
  
" Yami Motou, that was so not funny!" Mai cried. " I'd never wear a bikini in this weather!" she added.  
  
" Any chance you'd wear one of those skimpy Mrs. Santa Claus suits?" Jou asked playfully. Mai pretended to think.  
  
" Hm... Nah, you wouldn't be able to afford the fees I'd make you pay." She said.  
  
" Mai don't come cheap." Himeko said, nodding. Just then, the boys, Grandpa, and Seto came into the room.  
  
" Yum! I'm starving!" Yoshi cried, dashing up to the table.  
  
" Wow, I didn't know they made turkeys that big!" Mokuba noted.  
  
" When do we get pie?" Yukio asked, pulling on the hem of my dark blue sweater. Everyone laughed.  
  
It was a while before we all managed to settle down, and Seto actually got the carving knife from Yami (who insisted that since he was the oldest present, five minutes older than Himeko and exactly four days older than Bakura, he should get to carve the bird). And saying grace was certainly something to see. It was probably the first Thanksgiving in which "grace" mentioned praise to Ra, Ma'at, and Horus, on top of Anzu's prodding Yami to say "thank you, Lord." And after all was said and done, every male present still wanted pie. Grandpa thought we were all simply hilarious. He said next year he was inviting some of his friends so they could laugh at us together.  
  
After the meal, we gathered in the living room and watched more football, which I still didn't get, and us girls talked while the guys yelled random things. Such as;  
  
" You dummy! You're running the wrong way!"  
  
" He fumbled it! He fumbled it! What a dumb ass!"  
  
" ::insert Egyptian curse word I will not repeat::!"  
  
They went on like that for a few hours, while the girls carried on a normal conversation.  
  
" Yuki," Himeko said suddenly. I looked at her. " I never got to ask you. What went on while you were up there with Perl?" she asked. I felt a little lump rise in my throat. I had been waiting for someone to ask.  
  
" I can't tell you." I said. " Just trust me." I told her. She didn't pry, and she didn't even try to get into my mind to see what it was I wouldn't tell her. She just accepted my explanation. And it made me feel good that she trusted me that much.  
  
That night, everyone began to drift towards home. Honda hung out a little longer than most everyone, but I was used to that. I went upstairs to tuck three very full little boys into bed, and when I came back down, Seto seemed to have disappeared.  
  
" Where's Seto?" I asked Honda. He shrugged.  
  
" Got a call on his cell and ran off. Said there was some emergency at the office." He told me.  
  
" Oh." I murmured. Another thing I was used to.  
  
" Boy, it sure got late fast. Time flies when you're having fun." Honda said. I sighed. I knew what was coming. By all that's natural, I shouldn't have known. But I did. " Would you mind if I crashed here tonight?" he asked.  
  
" Normally, no. But not tonight, Honda. You'd better get home. Your parents will be worried." I said, almost in a monotone voice.  
  
" I know. That's why I want to stay. That, and you're here." Honda told me, leaning down from his height and kissing me on the cheek. I bit my lip.  
  
" Honda, you really need to go home. Trust me." I said. " I'll call for a ride for you." I added, turning to the phone before he could protest. I walked him to the car that waited and waved goodbye as he was driven off, pleased with myself. I had just avoided starting a chain of events that would have made everyone I cherished unhappy. Perl still existed out there, on her own plane. Not mine. Never on mine.  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, see if you guys can figure that out. ^_^ Once again, I'm sorry about the delay. I just took my first driver's test and I failed because I didn't come to a "complete" stop at a stop sign!!! ARGH! I've waited two damn months to take that test and I go and fail it?! Who, pray tell, hates me up there?! (shakes fist at sky) And for your information, I was scooting up so I could see the road better so I wouldn't have a freaking wreck! Incase you can't tell, this is upsetting me. I've never failed a test before. _; I have to wait a whole week to take my next test. And I really wanted that license...  
  
Oh yeah, points. 500 to Clover Calerica and Mokona and that's it. No one else hit the nail on the head. You all need to catch up. Or maybe I need to make the quizzes easier. Hmmmmm... For a grand total of seven hundred points, today's quiz is... Who is Perl's father? And since you ought to get that, for three hundred, send me some detailed info about Malik and Isis Ishtar. I need it. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a happy holiday season! 


	21. Hot Chocolate and Cookies

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty-One... Hot Chocolate and Cookies  
  
  
  
*+*+*Mai*+*+*  
  
There are singes on some of clothes where I was caught in the crossfire when Himeko decided Yami needed to be punished. I had one outfit totally ruined when Yuki had a surge. I'm used to it. Some of my best friends are not exactly normal. I've been in a lot of situations that I'd rather not have been in because of them. But to make up for it, they are great friends. Yami's brave, Yugi's loyal, Himeko's fun, Yuki's sweet, Ryou's caring, and Bakura's... Well, Bakura is Bakura. Sometimes they're sickeningly dependent on each other, but they all really care for each other. And about the people around them.  
  
Sometimes I get a little jealous of them. Each one of them has someone that understands them so completely, it's like the most ideal soul mate. And as though that's not enough, they all seem to complete each other. Yami's seriousness is balanced out by Himeko's sense of fun, and vice-versa. Bakura's devil-may-care attitude keeps Yugi's fretfulness in check. Himeko's rough and abrasive personality is checked by Ryou's gentle caring. Each one is checked and balanced out by the others. Sometimes I wish that someone out there fits into the curves and jags of my personality like Himeko fits into Yuki's. I've always wanted a sister. Yuki got a sister, a mom, a best friend, and a protector all in one.  
  
" Too cute! You look absolutely adorable!" I squealed as a blushing Yuki stepped into my view.  
  
" I don't know, Mai." Yuki said, biting her lip.  
  
" Himeko, back me up on this one." I said, turning to Himeko, who was sprawled in a chair. She was sitting so that the back of her chair was in between her legs.  
  
" You look good. And I wouldn't lie to you." She said, giving Yuki a playful wink.  
  
" You really do look good, Yuki. Good job, Mai. I think you've outdone yourself." Anzu complimented me.  
  
" Aw, it just looks so good cause it's on Yuki. Did you ever think of going into modeling, Yuki?" I asked. I had finally gotten Yuki to model some of the outfits I made. They were a little big, but I could fix that. I found that odd. I had taken her measurements a few months ago, and I knew I'd gotten them right. I figured she had a lost a little weight. But Yuki was already very skinny... She had Himeko's slight frame. She had started out broader and definitely larger than Himeko, but now, her waist couldn't have been bigger than Himeko's. I didn't think it was healthy for her to be losing weight. But maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I had just been a little off with the measurements.  
  
" No, not really. I don't think I could do it. I don't like having my picture taken as it is." Yuki said, tugging self consciously at the hem of the dark blue skirt she was in. I smiled.  
  
" Get over here. I need to know what alterations to make." I said. Yuki obediently came over. The outfit she was wearing at the moment was a dark blue skirt that came down to just above her knees (Yuki's very conscious of her thighs, and I knew she'd be more comfortable in something a little longer than what Himeko and I prefer), and a cute light blue spaghetti strap top with a white long sleeve shirt underneath. Yuki never wears anything like that. She's more likely to wear one of Kaiba's school uniforms than wear her own.  
  
" Mai, where would I ever wear this?" she asked me.  
  
" How about on a date with Honda?" Himeko suggested slyly. Anzu snickered from her position lounging on the couch in my living room. My mom was on another one of her trips. Yuki turned an interesting shade of red.  
  
" Arms up." I directed. Yuki conceded quickly. " Yuki, Honda likes you. You like him. There's nothing wrong with that." I told her. " No reason to get embarrassed."  
  
" Easy for you to say. You don't have a sister constantly teasing you about it." Yuki grumbled, glaring at Himeko, who smiled innocently. Sometimes I can't believe she can smile like that at all.  
  
" Sure, Mai. You can say that when it's someone else. But how about when I ask what you're wearing on your next date with Jou?" Anzu asked.  
  
" Jou and I are just friends." I said calmly.  
  
" Yeah, sure." Himeko said, rolling her eyes.  
  
" You only spend every waking moment together." Anzu added.  
  
" I don't see him here now." I reminded her.  
  
" One out of a million." Anzu retorted.  
  
" Ow! Mai, you poked me!" Yuki cried suddenly, startling me.  
  
" Sorry!" I cried, jumping back and setting down my pins. " Anzu was distracting me." I said in explanation.  
  
" More like embarrassing you." Anzu interjected.  
  
" You think you're so funny." I said, rolling my eyes.  
  
" Now, now, children. Do I have to send you to separate corners?" Himeko asked dryly. She seemed to be in one of her sadistic moods. I've noticed that yamis tend to be much more moody than their lights. They're quicker to anger, more easily depressed, and their mood changes as quick as they can change their expression.  
  
" Hey, you don't get to call us kids just because you're a little older." I protested.  
  
" A little? Define little." Himeko asked. " Cause if you define 'little' as about 5000 years, then yeah, I'm a little older."  
  
" With age doesn't always come wisdom. Or maturity." Yuki said in her soft, philosophical manner. With a sly grin. Even Yuki is full of surprises. That light, easy, warm air around her can change to a coy, playful one as quickly as Himeko can get angry.  
  
" You're a funny one." Himeko growled sarcastically. Yuki smiled brightly.  
  
" That means so much, coming from you. Yami calls you a barrel of laughs all the time." she said innocently, seemingly unaware of Himeko's sarcastic tone. Sometimes I wonder exactly how much Yuki really does and doesn't get.  
  
" Well, at least I have a sense of humor. Certain older brothers need to acquire one." Himeko muttered, taking a long swig from a bottle of water.  
  
" Yami's got a sense of humor. It's just... a little different." Anzu said quickly.  
  
" Turn." I told Yuki, who spun obediently.  
  
" Oooh, someone's got a crush!" Himeko teased.  
  
" Anzu, you still like Yami?" I asked.  
  
" Still?!" Himeko cried, sitting up straight. " Why doesn't anyone tell me these things? He's my brother!" Anzu was blushing profusely, and had managed to fall off the couch.  
  
" Aren't you the possessive one? He's my brother too." Yuki said calmly. " And of course Anzu likes Yami." She added. We all stared at her. " Why would she hang out around him if they weren't friends?"  
  
" Oh, Yuki." Himeko moaned, slapping her forehead.  
  
" What I wouldn't give for your naivete." I muttered.  
  
" I don't like Yami! Like that!" Anzu finally protested.  
  
" Then why are you all red?" I asked slyly.  
  
" Anzu, are you hot?" Yuki asked, still not comprehending. Himeko moaned again.  
  
" I'm not related to her, I swear!" she cried.  
  
" What'd I do?" Yuki asked, completely bewildered.  
  
" At this point in time, I will conveniently change the subject." I declared. " Christmas is coming up, and I want you all to know that I've already raided the mall."  
  
" Oh, Christmas! I haven't even thought about it yet." Anzu muttered.  
  
" I have to wait till Seto puts his wallet down long enough for me to borrow his credit card before I can go shopping." Yuki said.  
  
" Why don't you just ask him?" Himeko asked.  
  
" Because then he'll go into his Scrooge mode and bah humbug me to death. Seto doesn't like Christmas as much as he should." Yuki explained.  
  
" Wonder why?" I thought out loud. Yuki blushed.  
  
" Long story." She muttered.  
  
" I have to raid Yami's wallet before I can shop. Of course, he knows better than to put it down. And Yugi hides all his money." Himeko growled.  
  
" I thought Grandpa was giving you three allowances." Yuki said.  
  
" He is. I just already spent mine when Tepe, Ryou, and I went to the movies." Himeko said. " Ryou still thinks Tepe and I need a chaperon." She muttered as an afterthought. I knew better than to tease Himeko about Bakura. That was a very touchy subject for her. I know because the last time I had made a remark, she yelled at me and nearly burst into tears.  
  
" Maybe he just wanted to get out of the house. I wouldn't blame him. That's an awful big house to be all alone in." Anzu said. Himeko shrugged.  
  
" Okay, Yuki, you can go change now." I said. Yuki sighed and rushed off to my bedroom to change.  
  
" That's the last one, right?" she called as she shut the door.  
  
" Yeah." I called back. " I'll make the alterations and they'll be ready in a week."  
  
" Oh, Mai! My uniform skirt ripped in the back, and there's no way I'm wearing it like that with those boys on the loose." Anzu said, standing up and rummaging through the bag she brought with her. She handed me her skirt a minute later.  
  
" Oh, it's just a torn seam. I can fix this in a few minutes." I said, sitting at my sewing table.  
  
I love sewing and making clothes. I don't like cooking, and I sure hate cleaning. But I love sewing. I don't mind playing tailor to my friends. I rather enjoy it. They bring me rips, tears, popped seams, lost buttons, and all sorts of apparel problems. The toughest out of all of them is the leather Yami, Yugi, and Kaiba seem to be fascinated with. I've become something of an expert with it. Although, I had turn Yugi away when he came to me with a totally demolished leather shirt. His story? The poor shirt happened to be in the washer when Yami decided it would work better if he gave it a "boost." The Motous just purchased a brand new washer, and Yugi is one leather shirt short. Also lost in the incident were one of Himeko's favorite skirts, a jacket Yami himself was fond of, and one of Himeko's few pairs of pants. Yami was more upset about the loss of the pants than Himeko.  
  
How could a girl like me not be happy? I had an exciting life, wonderful friends, and Jou. Granted, there were times when I would wish that I could have a normal life. Then I look at Himeko and Yami and all of them, and I think about all the nice things they've done for me, and I decide that having such an abnormal life has its good points. After all, I haven't got it nearly as bad as some of them do. I don't have to keep my emotions under control for fear my super powers will blow up and possibly hurt someone who just happened to be standing near me. That's the reality some of my friends live with. Ryou once told me it was their gift, and their curse. He said that it's wonderful to know there's someone there who understands him fully, but at the same time, he has to live with knowing that he's only half of one soul. So I definitely could have it worse.  
  
The girls left after a while, Yuki toting a few new outfits. I made her promise she would let me take her shoe shopping. After all, you can't have new outfits without having shoes to match them. That girl just doesn't get that two pairs of shoes will not do the trick. So I was left all alone in my apartment. Bored out of my mind. I thought about calling Jou, but I decided not to bug him. I couldn't expect him to always drop what he was doing and keep my company when I was bored. So I picked out my favorite romance movie and popped it in.  
  
Usually, that movie keeps my attention perfectly. But that day, it wandered. I was still trying to figure out, after all this time, exactly what my purpose was. Was I destined to just stand on the side lines? I knew what happened in my past life. I was killed in the crossfire between struggling titans. I was killed then because I was trying to get in there and help my friends. That desire brought about my death, and the death of the man who loved me. I blushed a little. The guy that Jou was reincarnated from died trying to protect the girl I was reincarnated from. Trying to avenge her death. It was a stupid, impulsive thing I could definitely see Jou doing. But here, in this life, Jou was just my friend, and I couldn't see my purpose here.  
  
I hate cheerleaders. I like Anzu as a person, but I hate her cheerleader- ish tendencies. I refuse to be anyone's cheerleader. Even Jou's. I like Himeko a lot, and Himeko is no cheerleader. She's more likely to be the one others cheer for, as opposed to being the one doing the cheering. Yuki just does what she needs to. If she needs to encourage someone, she will. If she needs to make a big boom, she'll do that too. So, what was my purpose? Just a cheerleader? I didn't think I could take that. But, I was just a mortal. Mortal. That sounded so degrading. I used to think of it as a fact. I was mortal, and I would get old and die someday. Now, it was like a slur. Mortal, without any special abilities. I knew they don't mean to, but Yugi and Yuki and the rest of them do sort of segregate us all. Mortal and not mortal. If you listen to them, it's usually "Protect the mortals," or something like that. But then, some of the things they deal with are pretty far over my head.  
  
I sighed, and stepped out into the daylight. It was a lovely winter day, but I could smell the coming snow in the air. The thought excited me. Soon, it would be Christmas. Yuki, Anzu, and I were already planning a big get- together on Christmas Eve. I like decorating and getting ready for big things like that, Anzu just loves throwing parties, but Yuki just loves having everyone together and near her. Himeko does what we ask her to, but she's more of a party-goer, not a party-thrower. In any case, I could always count on Yuki to be willing to lend an ear when I'm bored.  
  
I worry about Yuki. I think everyone does, for their own reason. Like everyone else, I'm concerned about her weak spells and loss of weight. But I also worry about her as a person. Yuki's lived her life in service of others. She's so innocent, she's incapable of seeing when someone is taking advantage of her. And people do, even if they don't realize it. Himeko is the only one who doesn't, really. Even I do. I was doing it right then, going over to the mansion to talk to her. I wasn't going cause I thought she would need someone to talk to, I was going because I needed someone to talk to. So I worry about her always serving others, never doing anything for herself. A girl needs to be selfish every now and then, it's just our nature. I looked around myself, spotting one of my favorite day spas.  
  
" Well, there we go." I muttered, jogging across the street.  
  
I got to the mansion a little later, a gift certificate for a full spa day made out to Yuki tucked in my purse. I had to state my name and business into the security intercom, but that's just because Yuki and Kaiba are nervous. They're really protective of their loved ones, and I don't blame them. After the whole incident in Egypt, I'd be protective too. I found Yuki in the kitchen, mixing hot chocolate.  
  
" Oh, hi!" she called. She seemed happy to see me. But Yuki's always happy to see anyone.  
  
" Hey." I greeted her, sitting down at the table. " What in the world are you doing?" I asked.  
  
" I'm making hot chocolate for the boys when they get in from playing outside." Yuki explained, placing a tea pot of water on the stove. I sniffed the air.  
  
" Mmmm... What smells so good?" I asked. Yuki looked pleased with herself.  
  
" Chocolate chip cookies." She told me. " They'll be ready in a little bit. This is what I love about this time of year. Warm cookies and good things to drink waiting for you when you get in from the cold." A sort of spacey look passed over her face. I cocked my head.  
  
" Did your mom used to make hot chocolate for you when you went out in the cold?" I asked. Yuki blushed.  
  
" Um... Yeah, she used to... That was a long time ago, though." She murmured. " Didn't your mom make it for you?" she asked.  
  
" No, not really. If I wanted it, I made it myself. My mom wasn't around much when I was a kid. She had to go on business trips a lot." I said, looking down at my hands. Suddenly, a steaming mug was set in front of me.  
  
" Hot chocolate's good for the soul. My great-grandma used to say that." Yuki told me when I looked up at her questioningly. " So, if you don't mind me asking, who took care of you if your mom was gone?"  
  
" I don't mind. My dad did for awhile, but then, he and my mom split up, and he ran off and married a model. They live in the Caribbean now." I told her, sipping from my chocolate.  
  
" I'm sorry." Yuki said, looking genuinely apologetic.  
  
" It's no big deal. That was a long time ago. I take care of myself." I said. " You know, it just occurred to me, I really don't know much about you. You know, your family and where you come from." I said.  
  
" Um, well... My dad was a Japanese businessman, and he met my mom when he was in America for a vacation. He fell in love with her and they got married. Then he took her to Japan to meet his grandmother, and I was born while they were there." Yuki said, looking a little flushed.  
  
" So you were born here? I'm sorry, I must seem really nosey. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." I said, suddenly embarrassed.  
  
" It's fine." Yuki said, smiling. " Yes, I was born here. I was born in the same hospital Seto was. My father named me Yuki because it was pure luck that he and my mom met. They went back to America and bought some land in Oklahoma, and that's where I grew up. We lived pretty far off the beaten trail, but I liked it. Yoshi was born when I was four, and I met Seto when I was nine. My father died in a car accident when I was eleven, just after Yukio was born. My mom and I ran the family business together, with Seto's help. Umm... That's when she stopped making hot chocolate. She was too busy. I had to take care of the boys." Yuki looked down at her mug. " My mom died just after I turned fifteen." She finished. I stared at her.  
  
" Do you miss them? Your other family?" I asked. I had always thought of Yuki as the kind of girl who naturally fell into the niche of being protected, despite her awesome power. But in reality, no one had been able to protect her.  
  
" Yes... Sometimes." Yuki said, then forced a smile. " But I've got a new family now. You guys are my family. I'm happy here." She said. I wondered why I couldn't quite believe her. Just then, though, the boys came in.  
  
I learned a lot about caring for others, spending that day with Yuki. I learned that her serving others had nothing to do with not being strong enough to make her own demands. It was something she did simply from love. It was sort of like my mending clothes. I did it because I cared about the people that brought me the clothes, and I wanted them to be happy. Yuki made cookies and hot chocolate because she loved her brothers. And I got into the spirit of it. There's something satisfying about watching a ten- year-old scarf down cookies you helped make, grinning and telling you with a full mouth how good they are. And of course, Yuki and I helped ourselves to the cookies and the dough. I helped Mokuba with his homework (that kid is smart!), and I played hide-and-seek with all of them in the house. When Kaiba got home, I saw a side of him I didn't even know he had. He was smiling and happy. He let Yukio use him as a jungle gym without a word of complaint. He actually looked happy. If Yuki was the caregiver in their little family, then Kaiba was the one the boys went to for fun. Yuki made cookies, Kaiba helped eat them. Yuki mended boo-boos, Kaiba helped make them. And for that one night, I felt like I was a part of their family.  
  
" Alright, monsters, bedtime!" Yuki called, giving Yoshi and gentle swat on the rear. Yukio looked up, from his position on the floor with me. We had been coloring the pages of his new coloring book.  
  
" Aw, Yuki!" Mokuba moaned.  
  
" Do we have to, Seto?" Yoshi wailed.  
  
" Do what your sister says." Kaiba said, tolerantly shoving Mokuba off him.  
  
" Mai!" Yukio wailed pitifully.  
  
" Get going." I said, trying to act stern. I wondered how Yuki remained so solid with those adorable faces. All three boys moaned and started up the stairs to their rooms. Kaiba stood from the couch and stretched, spreading his hand out over his head and starting to count down from five. The second he pulled the last finger down, a cry erupted from upstairs.  
  
" Yuki! Seto!" Yukio wailed, appearing at the top of the stairs. " Yoshi pushed me!"  
  
" I did not! Mokuba did!" Yoshi cried indignantly, also appearing.  
  
" Liar!" Mokuba shrilled angrily from somewhere out of my line of sight.  
  
" Yukio, toughen up. Yoshi, keep your hands to yourself and don't point fingers. Mokuba, don't call people names." Yuki said, straightening the pillows on the couch as she spoke. The three boys left again, grumbling.  
  
" You can always tell who did it, because the one that points the finger first is almost always the one." Kaiba informed me. I giggled.  
  
" You two are good at this." I said.  
  
" You learn as you go." Yuki told me, smiling. " Do you want a ride home, or do you want to sleep here?" she asked.  
  
" I guess I'll crash here, if that's okay with you guys." I said with a shrug. Kaiba shrugged as well and said it didn't matter to him, so long as Yuki and I didn't keep him awake. Then he said goodnight to Yuki and I and went to his own room. According to Yuki, he'd stay up another few hours and work at his computer, then go to bed.  
  
I slept on an air mattress on Yuki's bedroom floor that night, arms behind my head and thinking about the day I had spent with her. Thinking about all I had learned. It was like a whole new world had been opened up to me. The prospect of having a family was something I had never considered. But now, it was something new and bold. I guess every girl imagines that someday she'll have a fairytale wedding to Mr. Right, and they'll have a beautiful baby and live happily ever after. I did, when I was younger. But I suppose I wrote it off as a dream. Now, it seemed possible. I blushed a little and tried to imagine what my Mr. Right would look like. Jou in a tux flashed in my mind, and I blushed more, trying to chase that thought from my head. I couldn't imagine myself as a bride, or a mother. I could imagine Anzu as a blushing bride, Yuki as a proud mother. I could imagine Himeko as a career wife who loved her husband. But I couldn't imagine myself in any of those roles. I know, I was being very stereotypical. But, oh well.  
  
" Mai! Mai, wake up! We slept in!" Yuki's voice suddenly cut through the haze of my sleep. The words "We slept in" jarred me from the nice dream I was having, about my own husband and family. When I tried to remember what they looked like, I found I couldn't.  
  
" Damn it! I hate school!" I cried, leaping up and making a mad dash to the closet. I keep some of my clothes in Yuki's closet, just incase I decide to sleep over without warning. I keep spares in Anzu's closet, and Himeko's too. So I pulled on my spare uniform and started to yank it on. After that, Yuki and I ran downstairs to find the boys eating cereal, already dressed and ready. Kaiba barged into the room just behind us, snagged a mug of coffee one of the cooks offered to him, and gulped it down. Yuki ate a bite of toast. Just a bite. I don't eat breakfast, so it was no big deal to me. I was too busy applying my make-up anyway.  
  
" Mai, could you go get the newspaper?" Yuki asked suddenly. I nodded and stood up. " Mokuba, did you even try to brush your hair?!" Yuki asked in exasperation as I left the room. I didn't hear Mokuba's reply, but I chuckled anyway.  
  
I got to the front door and pulled it open. Cold December air blasted my face. The sky was blue, tinted with the rosy hues of morning. I shivered a little and looked at the ground, trying to locate the newspaper. The sight that greeted me would change not only my life, but all our lives forever.  
  
  
  
A/N: Ah, the beginning of a new saga. Betcha can't guess what Mai found on the doorstep! I don't expect you to, at least. This part was written entirely in Mai's POV because she's going to play a major role in this saga and the next one. Just trying to get myself in the "Mai-mode." Well, thank you for reading and please review!  
  
*+*+*Special Christmas Scene for your reading pleasure*+*+*  
  
Yami: Please note that Christmas will be celebrated in TGOL, just not yet.  
  
Yuki: Ah! They're here?! Yukio! Yoshi! Mokuba! GET IN HERE!  
  
All three boys: (run up to Christmas tree, which is huge)  
  
Himeko: Damn, Seto. Don't think you overdid it, do you?  
  
Seto: Overdid it? No way.  
  
Mokuba: Hey, Yoshi, this big one's got your name on it! (points to large present)  
  
Yoshi: Sweet!  
  
Yukio: I can't read yet! Waaaah! ;_;  
  
Bakura: Where are Ryou and Malik? (A/N: Yes, Malik's here)  
  
Isis: I dunno.  
  
Yugi: Yay! I luv Christmas! ^_^  
  
Anzu: I'm gonna die if you don't quit being so cute, Yugi!  
  
Mai: Keep it up, Yugi!  
  
Anzu: That was so not funny.  
  
Mai: ^_^  
  
Honda: (holds mistletoe over Yuki's head) Merry Christmas! (leans in for kiss)  
  
Yuki: Yoshi! Don't shake the presents! You don't know if they're breakable or not! (walks away, and Honda ends up kissing the floor)  
  
Seto: (finds Honda's misfortune hilarious)  
  
Yami: And what's so funny?  
  
Seto: (snicker) Aside from your face, nothing.  
  
Yami: (tackles Seto. Fight starts)  
  
Malik & Ryou: We're here!  
  
Malik: Ta-daaaa!  
  
Himeko: Finally! Everyone line up!  
  
Mai: How's my hair look, Jou? Do I look okay in this dress with these shoes? And does my lipstick clash with the rest of the outfit?  
  
Jou: O_O?  
  
Grandpa: Alright, everybody ready? Malik, quit giving Yami bunny ears!  
  
Yami: Hey! (tries to murder Malik)  
  
Yugi: Down, Yami!  
  
Bakura: (snicker)  
  
Grandpa: (gets behind camera) Okay, everyone, this our first Christmas together. Let's remember it fondly, okay?  
  
Yami: Better get Malik out of the picture, then.  
  
Everyone: Yami!  
  
Yami: ^_^;  
  
Malik: Ha! I am loved! (grins happily)  
  
Grandpa: (gets ready to take picture) Say "Merry Christmas!"  
  
Everyone: (big smiles) Merry Christmas!  
  
(picture is shown. The front row shows Yugi, Ryou, Yuki, and Malik all sitting Indian style. In front of them, Mokuba and Yukio lay on either side of Yoshi, all laying on their stomachs. Behind the front row, Yami, Bakura, Himeko, and Isis all kneel on their knees behind their respective Hikaris/brother. Behind that row, Mai, Jou, Honda, Anzu, and Seto all stand and smile real big. At the bottom of the picture, the words "Our First Christmas" are written in red ink, with a smiley face next to it.) 


	22. Hello, Charity

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty-Two... Hello, Charity  
  
A/N: Ahhh! *_* I'm sooooo sorry about the lateness! Christmas and all, you know! And a total excess of homework, and writer's block... ^_^; I got a terribly awesome stereo (pause to listen to booming Vanessa Carlton CD) ^_^ Joy! I hope you all had an awesome Christmas!  
  
  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
" I did so brush my hair!" Mokuba cried indignantly, as Mai walked out of the room.  
  
" It most certainly doesn't look like it." I responded.  
  
" It's genetics." Seto told me.  
  
" Don't they make gels stronger than genetics? He looks like a black pin cushion!" I cried. " We have enough trouble with those social workers as it is. If his teachers think he looks so much as badly dressed, they'll tell those social workers and then we'll have a big problem on our hands."  
  
" I pay attention in class, Yuki. The teachers all like me." Mokuba assured me. I smiled at him.  
  
" I know, Mokuba. Alright, you three, go get your things." I directed. Yoshi, Yukio, and Mokuba all slid out of their chairs and bounded out of the kitchen to their respective rooms.  
  
" You shouldn't let those letters rattle you, Yuki. I promised I'd take care of you and the boys, and I will." Seto told me as soon as they were out of earshot. I sighed.  
  
" I know, Seto. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just... Just when I think we're in the clear, they come back and remind me just how thin the ice we're walking on is." I said, balling my fists in frustration.  
  
" Trust me, I know. I've been doing this for a while now. All we have to do is walk them through the house and prove to them that we can provide a normal, stable home. That's all." Seto said.  
  
" I wish it was as easy as you make it sound." I said, smiling up at him. He smiled back, and opened his mouth to say something. Unfortunately, he was interrupted.  
  
" YUKI!" Mai cried suddenly. Shortly after her voice, a thin wail erupted. Like a baby's bleat. Seto and I looked at each other for a bare half second, and I was off like a shot. Something in that tiny cry hit a string in my heart. It was something I felt I was destined to answer. My first thought was that it was one of the boys crying. But Mokuba rarely cries, and when he does, he doesn't wail like that. Yoshi is like Seto. He doesn't cry, he gets mad. And Yukio, even though he can be a crybaby, is too old to sound like that. So I dashed up to the front door, which was still open. I stepped into the cold December air and saw Mai kneeling in front of something. I knelt beside her.  
  
" Oh my God." I murmured gently. I pushed past her and pulled the tiny bundle that lay on the hard porch to my chest.  
  
" What the hell?" Seto asked, running up to the door. " That sounded like a- a..." he started, stopping when I rushed past him into the warmth of the house.  
  
" A baby!" Mai cried, finishing for him. I didn't stop running. Don't ask me what I was thinking, because I don't know. It was all instinct. I ran into the kitchen and huddled near the warm stove, thinking only of warmth. Warmth for the little thing in my arms. I frowned, feeling the rough sheet the poor thing was wrapped in.  
  
" Yuki, what's going on?" Yoshi asked, bursting into the kitchen. Followed by Yukio and Mokuba.  
  
" Yoshi, go call Yami and Himeko and tell them to get over here. Tell them to call everyone. Mokuba, go up to the rooms and bring me the softest, warmest blanket you can find. Yukio, go get Mai and Seto. Now!" I barked as softly as I could.  
  
" But, what's-" Yoshi started to protest.  
  
" Now!" I said, raising the volume of my voice slightly. All three nodded and ran off. After they left, I pulled the bundle away from my chest and peered into it. I pulled a bit of the sheet away gently to reveal a tiny human face with bright blue eyes. The crying stopped as our eyes met.  
  
We must have stared at each for a few minutes. Just sat there, staring. Then, suddenly, the tiny child blinked and opened its round little mouth as though asking a question.  
  
" Baby..." I murmured. I remembered when my mother had Yoshi. I remembered when they put him in my lap and let me hold him. He was so small... But this baby was smaller. So very small. Of course, Yoshi and Yukio were both pretty pudgy babies.  
  
Yukio came back right then, Mai and Seto right behind him.  
  
" Yuki...?" Seto asked softly, holding out an arm to force Mai and Yukio to keep their distance. The baby in my arms shifted a little, as though getting more comfortable, and closed its little eyes, heaving a small sigh.  
  
" It's okay." I whispered. " Just be quiet. She went to sleep." I said.  
  
" She?" Mai asked, but Mokuba returned right then, pulling a soft blanket with him. It wasn't big. It was something Seto had bought to take with him on overnight flights, small, but very soft and warm.  
  
" Clear off the table. Quick." I instructed. Seto and Mai leapt to oblige, as quietly as possible. As soon as they had done so, I laid the infant on the table and began unwrapping the badly-wrapped sheet. It was a dirty sheet, no less, and I soon saw why. Mai dashed out of the room when we saw it, and I heard gagging noises as she went, but I didn't let it get to me.  
  
" She was just born." Seto said, looking away. I winced. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but a part of me seemed to know what to do.  
  
" Get me a big bowl of warm water and a soft wash cloth. Get Mai back in here." I said to Seto and Mokuba. Mokuba gave Yukio a gentle shove toward the door, and he ran off to find Mai. Then Mokuba and Seto went about finding the items I needed.  
  
" How warm?" Seto whispered.  
  
" Comfortable." I whispered in return. Mai came back in, looking a little green, just as Seto gave me the bowl and cloth.  
  
A few hours later, I was curled up in an overstuffed armchair, the little one still in my arms. Yugi had taken her for a little bit, while I got something to drink and relaxed for a moment. Yami drove Ryou to the store with a list I gave them to pick up things like diapers and formula and bottles. I had to be very specific. I wrote down things I remembered my mom using with my little brothers. But other than that, I was the only one that held her. I think the others were too nervous. Now, the police were here. And their presence made me nervous.  
  
" You're sure you didn't see anyone?" the lady officer asked Mai, who nodded. I could tell she was annoyed. We all were. They kept asking the same questions over and over again.  
  
" I went out to get the paper cause Yuki asked me to, and I saw her on the porch." She repeated. Seto finally intervened.  
  
" If you're done asking the same questions repeatedly, I'd like to ask you to leave." He said gruffly. I looked up at him from the armchair, and the baby made a small noise. She was too young to coo. Just then, though, Bakura led the pediatric Ryou had called into the room. She was a middle- aged woman, with a kindly face. I liked her the instant I saw her.  
  
" Well, let's see the little one." She said. I stood from the chair and handed the baby to her. She took her expertly, and I was reminded of how my great-grandmother used to hold Yukio. Like she knew exactly what she was doing. " You can stretch, dear." She told me. I smiled gratefully, and did so. Yami wrapped a protective arm around my waist, as though his very presence could ward off any harm that might come to me. But it comforted me to know he was there, all the same. The police handed Seto a card.  
  
" It seems that the best thing to do is to leave her where she is. She seems to be in good hands." The lady said, nodding to me.  
  
" If there are any problems, call us at this number." The lady's partner, an overweight man, said. Seto nodded.  
  
" Himeko, would you show them out?" he said distantly. Himeko stood from her own chair, as eager to get the strangers out as any of us. Bakura bristled a little as they walked past, but held his tongue. I commended him silently.  
  
" She seems to be perfectly healthy." The doctor said, smiling at the baby. She had laid her on the floor on a blanket, and was checking her over. " She's barely a few hours old, though." The baby made another almost-coo.  
  
" She's so cute!" Anzu squealed.  
  
" Shhh!" Jou and Honda hissed in unison.  
  
" There's no need to walk in tiptoe. Noise won't hurt her." The doctor said. She smiled up at me. " My name is Dr. Ran Kameyo." She told me.  
  
" My name is Yuki Motou." I said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Where were my manners? " And these are my older brothers, Yami and Yugi, and my older sister, Himeko," I said, going on to introduce everyone.  
  
" Quite a large family." Dr. Kameya noted.  
  
" The more the merrier!" Yugi said quickly.  
  
" We're not all related, though." Anzu jumped in.  
  
" We just act like it." Ryou said, grinning largely. The doctor seemed to sense we weren't telling the whole truth, but she seemed satisfied.  
  
" Well, the baby is perfectly healthy. But she is lacking one thing." Dr. Kameya told us. We all sort of jumped.  
  
" What?!" Honda asked, sounding frantic.  
  
" Is something wrong?" I asked, a little confused. She looked fine to me.  
  
" What in the world?" Mai wondered out loud. Dr. Kameya laughed.  
  
" My, you're all jumpy! She needs a name, that's all." She said, still laughing.  
  
" Oh!" I said, feeling embarrassed again. Mai sank into a chair and Jou cast her a concerned look.  
  
" What a day!" Mai cried.  
  
" You're telling me." Yami said, rolling his eyes. " I'm almost out the door for school when Himeko comes running after me to tell me that Yoshi called and said there was an emergency. I nearly had a heart attack!" he said.  
  
" At least you didn't have Ryou jumping on you to wake you up." Bakura growled. Ryou smiled weakly.  
  
" We all agree it was a little scary." Yugi interrupted as I scooped the baby into my arms.  
  
" Hello, there! Did you miss me?" I cooed. She just looked at me with that baby bewilderment that's just so endearing. I smiled real big at her, and she tried to mimic the expression. Which just got every girl present cooing and giggling.  
  
" It's a woman thing, right?" Ryou asked Bakura, who shrugged.  
  
" Names, huh?" Honda wondered.  
  
" Boy, I didn't think I'd ever be naming a kid." Jou muttered.  
  
" Let's see the rug rat." Seto said, and I handed her to him. He took her into his arms carefully, old instincts buried with Mokuba's growth slowly returning. " She is cute." He admitted. I smiled at him, knowing what a softie he is for kids and babies. I stood there, next to Himeko, watching Seto play with the baby gently, when suddenly, it hit me. Next to me, Himeko jumped at the same moment as I did.  
  
" Charity." I said suddenly.  
  
" Charity Faith." She finished.  
  
" What are you two talking about?" Yugi asked.  
  
" Her name." We both said in unison. " Charity Faith Motou." We told them all. The doctor was pleased.  
  
" That's a wonderful name for her!" she said happily.  
  
" Great. Now how are you going to talk Grandpa into adopting another kid?" Yami asked.  
  
" We'll figure something out." Yugi said dismissively.  
  
" I'll just lay down the law right now. She's not going to an orphanage. She's not." Seto interrupted, his voice surprisingly angry. Even for him.  
  
" Fine with me." Ryou said, shrugging.  
  
" We're going to need more stuff than what we've got." Himeko pointed out. " I mean, I have no idea what a baby needs, but I figure she's going to need clothes and toys and a crib and who knows what else?"  
  
" Not a problem. Yuki and I have raised our brothers since they were babies. We know what we're doing." Seto reminded her.  
  
" I'm glad someone does." Yami muttered.  
  
" Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'd best be off." Dr. Kameya said.  
  
" I'll show you out." Yugi volunteered, leading her off. As soon as she was out, the tense air fled.  
  
" I couldn't say it with those people around, but back when I still lived with my tribe, I used to help take care of the younger ones." Bakura said.  
  
" That big fat cop was annoying, wasn't he?" Mai asked the baby in a cooing voice. I smiled and took her back from Seto.  
  
" Hello, Charity. Welcome." I said softly.  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I guess Charity was good for us. She brought us together. I'd never seen Yami or Bakura so lighthearted. Anzu kept giving me surprised looks and when I asked her about it, she told me that she'd never seen me smile so much. Everyone loved her. She became our child, even before the adoption was finalized. Her last name was officially Motou, but that meant nothing to us. We all held her, rocked her. Himeko would stand in the nursery, holding her and swaying back and forth, singing soft Egyptian lullabies. Yami would play soft melodies he made up on his keyboard that he got for Christmas. Mai sewed and shopped for her. Anzu would dance with her pressed to her shoulder. Jou and Honda would crawl around the floor and make faces and amuse her endlessly. Ryou took endless delight in fascinating her with different toys. Bakura would lay on his back, pull his knees up to his chest, place Charity on his lower legs, and lift her into the air with his legs. He claimed it was great exercise and it amused her. Yuki would spend endless hours cuddled in an oversized armchair beside the fire, feeding her and rocking her to sleep. We all loved her. She was ours.  
  
I came home one January evening to Yuki, cuddled up in her usual spot by the fire with Charity. I was late that evening, so I supposed that the boys were already asleep.  
  
" Hello." I whispered. Yuki turned and gave me an accusing glare over her shoulder.  
  
" You're late. Yukio threw a fit." She told me.  
  
" Sorry. I had a meeting that went longer than I planned. I couldn't get away." I apologized. She sighed.  
  
" Just don't be late Friday." She told me. " Jou and Yugi will be really upset."  
  
" I know." I said. Jou, Yugi, and Yami had decided to have a joint birthday party, since their actual birthdays were so close together (Yami's birthday is the same day as Yugi's, and despite our story, Yuki and Himeko's birthday is in September). It was a little late for Yugi and Yami, and a little early for Jou, but none really cared. " How's the rugrat?" I asked, nodding to Charity. Yuki smiled, and I marveled at her. She seemed to glow with maternal warmth.  
  
" Wonderful. She smiled at Jou today. Of course, he was making one of those faces at her." She told me. I smiled.  
  
" Want me to put her to bed?" I asked.  
  
" Would you?" she asked in return, a pained expression crossing her face. I smiled.  
  
" Of course." I said, taking the little baby from her. Charity had gained some weight, but she was still so small. At barely a month old, she still fit into everyone's arms perfectly. She curled toward my chest as I crept up the stairs to the nursery.  
  
Charity brought back memories for me. Memories of when Mokuba was a baby. Memories of when I first met Yuki and Yukio was still little. I smiled. A lot of those times were happy. I slowly set Charity into her crib and smiled down at her.  
  
" Don't get into any hurry to grow up, Charity." I whispered. She heaved a small baby sigh, and I left the room. I returned to the fireside to find Yuki, fast asleep in her chair. She was working overtime, with Charity to care for on top of the boys. And she already looked so pale. A few nights before, I'd found an old picture that I used to keep on my desk at work. The picture was taken when Yuki and I were fourteen. In it, we were sitting on a tree branch. I had my arms around her waist and was leaning my head against the back of her shoulder. She was grinning down at the camera with those big eyes. In the picture, she was tan and healthy looking. Now she looked sickly and pale. I wondered where I'd gone wrong. I'd only been trying to help her, and it seemed like I was doing her more harm than anything else.  
  
I sighed and picked her up, cradling her against my chest. Honda was a lucky guy. A very lucky guy. I winced, realizing how light she was. After everything we'd gone through together... She meant so much to me.  
  
She was sick.  
  
I don't know how I came to that conclusion. The thought suddenly popped into my head. She was sick. Yuki. My Yuki. My precious, beloved best friend was sick. And as it occurred to me, it struck a nerve. She really was sick. So pale, losing weight, weak spells, always tired... Oh God, I thought, she's really sick. I need to get her to a doctor. Oh God. Fear began to grip at my chest. When did this happen? How long? No... Not Yuki. Please, not Yuki.  
  
*+*+*Mai*+*+*  
  
I don't know what I was thinking. I really don't. I should have called Jou, the minute I knew it would be dark when I started home. I should have called Jou, or Yami, or Kaiba, or even Honda (although I really don't like riding with him on that motorcycle of his). But I didn't. I guess I thought nothing would happen to me. You know, when you're a teenager and you think to yourself, oh, that only happens in movies and on TV. It'll never happen to me. I guess that's what I was thinking. Well, guess what, kiddies? It really does happen. To people just like you... to girls like me.  
  
It was dark, which is kind of a dumb statement, considering it was night. So duh, it was dark. That tends to happen at night. In alleyways... in scary alleyways where you can hear shuffling feet and male snickers... I knew I was in trouble. And I was scared.  
  
I clutched a sack of cute baby clothes for Charity and material for a dancing costume Anzu asked me to make close to my chest for comfort. I was so lost. All I could see was shadows and alleyways. All I could hear was said shuffles and male snickers. I turned around and tried to remember which way I'd come from, but I couldn't.  
  
" Oh God." I muttered. All the stories I'd ever heard of girls getting raped and left to die in alleys came rushing back to my head. I gulped and wondered if I was going to live to see the next day. A little dramatic, I know, but I was scared. I heard someone behind me and I turned around. There was a tall, very skinny man standing there, snickering at me with tobacco-stained teeth. I whimpered almost inaudibly and turned to run in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, one of the skinny guy's considerably more buff friends had cut off my escape route. More men started to step out of the shadows into the light of a street lamp, which cast an eerie orange glow on the scene. I could hear dripping water somewhere, which explained the wet appearance of the pavement under my feet. Your classic assault scene. After fear, my next reaction was anger. So I tried to fight when the skinny guy came after me. I hit him pretty hard. But one of his buddies came at me with a knife.  
  
" Now, just be a good little girl and I won't cut your face to ribbons." He told me in an angry tone. I noticed he had a chunk cut out of his left cheek. The skinny guy got back to his feet and rubbed his jaw. His companions sniggered at him.  
  
" What a pretty thing!" one of them hooted. I clutched my bag closer still and tried to keep out of their arm's reach, but they were forming a circle around me and closing in.  
  
" She's mine!" the skinny guy snarled, shoving his way towards me. I backed away from him, but the burly guy with a chunk of his cheek missing shoved me toward him.  
  
" Have fun!" he called. The skinny guy grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me ferociously while I struggled against him, his friends hooting and hollering. Oh, God, this can't be happening, I thought. Please, someone save me... Then, quite suddenly, he went limp and fell to the ground in front of him. I backed away, confused and all but paralyzed with fear. The yelling stopped as someone else stepped from the shadows. I caught a glimmer of bright blonde hair in the orange light. I looked down and saw the stone that had hit my attacker in the head.  
  
" Get him!" the guy with the knife yelled, and without a word, the guy who had come to my rescue slipped back into the shadow of the alley he'd come from. I took this as my cue, and turned to run. " Oh, no you don't!" knife- and-missing-chunk-from-left-cheek guy told me, grabbing my arm. There were yells of pain and sounds of fighting from the alleyway. Then, everything went eerily quiet again. The guy who had me started to pull me along with him.  
  
" No! Help! Please!" I screamed, finding my voice again, hoping beyond hope that the guy from before might come... But he'd been outnumbered fifteen to one at least... Surely he'd been...  
  
" Hey!" someone cried, and I heard someone running after us.  
  
" Help!" I screamed hopefully.  
  
" Shut up!" the guy holding me yelled, backhanding me. Everything got really fuzzy, but I remember sinking to my knees as someone tackled the guy and fought him. Then, everything went silent again.  
  
" Please..." I whimpered as someone approached me, cringing. I was barely conscious.  
  
" It's okay. I'm... I'm a friend." Someone said, a gentle hand resting on my shoulder. That's when I finally passed out, still thinking that the whole thing was one big nightmare.  
  
*+*+*Mai's Savior (see Author's Note at bottom)*+*+*  
  
Wow. Did I feel like an idiot. So... What was I going to do now? She'd passed out. I mean, obviously I couldn't leave her there. Right, go to all the trouble to keep her from getting raped and then just leave her for some other pervert looking for some kicks to find.  
  
I paused to hit my head on a brick wall pretty forcefully. I mean, if she'd gotten a good look at me... Oh gods, I didn't even want to think about it. She'd tell all of them, and then they'd all know we were here. So what was I going to do now? I couldn't leave her... Alright, obvious answer. Take her someplace safe. Someplace safe... Well, I most certainly couldn't take her home. I really didn't want to think about what, um, shall we say my "accomplice" would say about that. Hmmm... Well, I figured she'd probably be safe at one of her friend's homes. I could take her to Yugi Motou's... And risk the Pharaoh sensing me. That was a big no. I could take her to Ryou's... But I didn't want to talk to Ryou or the thief yet. I wasn't ready. There was no way, come hell or high water, that I'd ever go to Kaiba's place without an armed escort. Especially right then, when I was very sure that the entire world, save maybe three people, hated me with a passion. I didn't have a clue where that Anzu chick lived. Um, who else was there? Oh, that Jounouchi guy. Yeah, I could take her there. He didn't live too far. He was a dork if I remembered correctly, but he was a nice dork. He'd take care of her. Yeah, I decided, I'll do that.  
  
Now, the problem of actually doing it. She was not exactly light, and riding on a motorcycle with an unconscious passenger is no mean feat. But I did it... Okay, I had a little help. Just a little. Heh-heh... Don't ask. But I did get her there. Safe and sound. And I carried her up the stairs to the door of his apartment. Okay, now what? Well, I wasn't hanging around. The idea was to lay low and avoid this group of people. Great job I'd done so far, right? Well, I was just hanging out in the alleys, and I saw that gang of idiots gang up on her. I didn't even realize who she was at first, I just saw a girl in a jam, and besides, you're not supposed to pick on girls. So I threw a rock at the guy who had her and used a little, um, persuasion to deal with the others. Just my dumb luck she turned out to be who she was. So, I laid her down on Jounouchi's doorstep and knocked on the door. Then I turned and sprinted back down the stairs, hiding at the bottom until I was positive the coast was clear. After he'd gotten over his initial shock and carried the poor girl in, I started up my bike and rode off, knowing I was going to get hell for this later.  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey all. I just want to explain that the last person talking there is going to remain a bit of a secret. Sorry again with the lateness, been suffering from writer's block... ::sigh:: Yeah, well, you know how it is. Guess what?! I finally got my driver's license! I failed the dumb test twice, but then I went to a different testing facility and passed with flying colors. Yay me! ^_^ Like any of you care... But hey, humor me. Well, arigato for reading! 


	23. Welcome Home

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty-Three... Welcome Home  
  
A/N: Blah. I am so sorry. Job. Volunteer. Babysit. Blah. I am disgusted with myself. SORRY! Story's starting to draw to a close. So I have a question for you. Which is better; live one last day with your family and friends, and then watch the world burn, or burn yourself and never see them again so the world can live? Let me know.  
  
*+*+*Mai*+*+*  
  
I sat up with a start, instantly remembering what had happened. Where was I? You can imagine my shock when I realized I was in Jou's apartment.  
  
" Good, you're awake. I was starting to worry." Jou's voice suddenly reached my ears. I whipped my head around to see him standing there in a pair of pajama pants and a white tee-shirt.  
  
" How'd I get here?" I wondered.  
  
" Good question." Jou admitted. " I was hoping you knew the answer. You just appeared on my doorstep last night, so I carried you in." he told me. I looked down at myself. My clothes were in a terrible condition, so I tried to run my fingers through my hair. To no avail.  
  
" Man..." I moaned. " Can I use your shower, Jou?" I asked. I often used his shower, so I had some bare essentials stocked in his bathroom.  
  
" Sure, make yourself at home." He said. I stood and made my way to the bathroom, undressed, and climbed into the warm shower. As the warmth coursed through my body, I suddenly remembered the guy who'd saved me. I remembered a flash of bright blonde hair and a strangely familiar voice...  
  
" I'm... I'm a friend." He'd told me. Who was he? I leaned against the wall of the shower, relishing in the comfort, not wanting to think about what would have happened if that guy hadn't shown up.  
  
" Mai, don't take all the hot water! I need a shower too!" Jou yelled through the door.  
  
" Okay, Jou." I called back, smiling. But I was safe now. Jou would never let anything happen to me.  
  
*+*+*Jou*+*+*  
  
Life went on. Holidays and birthdays came and went. Nothing major happened. Unless you count me getting a better car from my dad for my birthday, and I most certainly did. Winter began to fade into spring, and whoever saved Mai made no attempt to contact her. We decided not to read too much into it. Every day went pretty much the same. Kaiba and Yuki dropped Charity off at Grandpa's every school day, and then we all met at school and went to our respective classes. After school, we all went home and usually met at a pre- designated spot a few hours later. I found myself joking and messing around with Yami Bakura, which was something I never thought I'd ever do.  
  
Spring came suddenly, like nature just suddenly woke up from a deep sleep. The flowers began to bloom, and the yamis were enthralled. I love spring. It's my favorite season, aside from summer. I'm sorry, but no amount of soft breezes and sweet flowers can beat the beach and bikinis. No competition. Anyway, we started taking Charity outside. She loved it. Honda and I would leap around the acreage behind the Kaiba Mansion and catch grasshoppers and butterflies for her. There was a sort of rhythm to life, a beat that we all sort of fell into. It felt like we were all relaxing in a river, just lazily floating along. I guess I should have known it was too good to last.  
  
I got to know a lot of the people in my immediate group a lot better in that lazy period. Bakura's stories became one of our favorite pass times. He liked telling them as much as we liked hearing them. Yuki taught us all to play softball in the backyard of the Kaiba Mansion. Turns out I've got a killer pitch, and Yami, with his amazing reflexes, is a great catcher. Mai makes an amazing second baseman, and little Yugi and Ryou trade off shortstop, their small size and agility making them pretty darn good. Our best third baseman is Himeko, who can hurl that ball anywhere on the field. Yuki, Bakura, Kaiba, Anzu, and Honda usually inhabit the outfield, mostly because they're fast and pretty good catches. Anyway, we started customizing Yami's car. We're gonna make it a mint classic. Five thousand year old spirit or no, you can't help but feel a little close to someone who dumped car oil on your head to get back at you for getting a little grease on his favorite leather top.  
  
Anyway, Otogi Ryuuji came back to school around spring break. He had been out of the country for some business stuff that had to do with his dice game. I was glad to see him back. But there was one person who wasn't.  
  
" So who are you guys taking me to meet, anyway?" Ryuuji asked as Yami pulled into the Kaiba driveway.  
  
" Yami and Yugi's two sisters." I explained.  
  
" You two have sisters?" Ryuuji asked Yugi and Yami in the front seat.  
  
" Yeah." Came Yami's short reply. He wasn't used to Ryuuji yet, and didn't have Yugi's trusting nature.  
  
" Cool. Are they cute?" Ryuuji asked. Yami slammed on the brakes and wheeled around in his seat.  
  
" Don't even think about it, buddy." He said angrily. Ryuuji smiled widely.  
  
" No problem." He said. I detected a minor shake in his voice.  
  
" Down, Yami." Yugi said, patting Yami's shoulder. Yami sighed and sat back in his seat and continued down the driveway. I shrugged to Ryuuji when he gave me a questioning look.  
  
We made it the rest of the way to the mansion with no other major happenings. But as we walked up to the door, I heard a huge crash.  
  
" YUKI, QUIT THROWING THE FURNISHINGS!" Kaiba's voice boomed.  
  
" MAKE ME!" Yuki's voice responded quickly. Yami, Yugi, and I looked at each other and rushed in. Who knew what those two were fighting about now?  
  
" Himeko!" Yami called upon entering. Himeko jogged up to us from the living room, a bowl of popcorn in her hand.  
  
" Hey, guys. What's up?" she asked casually. Another crash echoed down from upstairs.  
  
" What's going on?" Yugi asked, and Himeko shrugged.  
  
" I dunno. They were going at it when I got here. Some argument." She said, tossing some popcorn in her mouth as she noticed Ryuuji. " Hmm. Haven't seen you before." She said, appraising him visually.  
  
" Then allow me to introduce myself." Ryuuji said quickly, pausing for a flourish. I looked at Yami, fearful he might try to send Ryuuji to the Shadow Realm. " I'm Otogi Ryuuji. And who might you be, cutie?" Himeko giggled at the praise. Almost as though on cue, Bakura appeared behind her.  
  
" Alright! I've had enough!" Yami cried, trying to pounce Ryuuji. Yugi as I grabbed him just in time.  
  
" Oops. You must be one of his sisters." Ryuuji noted, flashing Yami a submissive look. Bakura took advantage of the moment to drape himself all over Himeko and give Ryuuji a killer glare.  
  
" Yeah, she is." He told Ryuuji. Ryuuji gulped audibly. Himeko ignored both Yami and Bakura, and extended her hand to Ryuuji, who was reluctant to take it.  
  
" I'm Motou Himeko. Nice to meet you." She said. " Hang on, I'll get my hikari." She added, removing herself expertly from Bakura's grip to jog over to the stairs. " Yuki! Get down here! We've got company!" she yelled.  
  
" Just a minute!" Yuki called back. Another crash reached us. " I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU!" she bellowed. She appeared at the top of the stairs, looking no different than normal, aside from being slightly flushed. She was greeting Yami, Yugi, and I as she came down the stairs.  
  
Then, a funny thing happened. Both Yuki and Ryuuji would later call it fate. But, in any case, it was funny. Ryou came rushing in through the door behind us, Anzu on his tail and screaming at him about something. He wasn't watching where he was going and plowed right into Ryuuji. Now, in the Kaiba Mansion, the front door is straight across from the stairs. Ryou came barreling in with enough momentum to send Ryuuji crashing into the foot of the stairs. Which happened to be the exact spot Yuki was at when Ryuuji was airborne. So, naturally, Ryuuji slammed right into Yuki, sending the both of them to the floor, him on top of her.  
  
" Well, we're moving a little fast, aren't we?" Ryuuji asked. Two things happened at once. Yami flew into a rage, and so did Yuki. I guess Yuki was having an off day, as odd as that is for her. She shoved Ryuuji of her and slapped him in the face. Then she stormed back up the stairs, where she collided with Kaiba, thus initiating another screaming match.  
  
And that was how the rivalry started. I guess Ryuuji couldn't forgive Yuki for slapping him. He told me later that he was just trying to lighten the mood with a joke. And Yuki never forgave Ryuuji for being so crude. If anyone could make Yuki made, Ryuuji could. They were always going at it. And I never did find out what Kaiba and Yuki were fighting about that day.  
  
Life got a lot noisier with Ryuuji around. He took unlimited delight in setting up a multitude of pranks on Yuki. And Yuki let lose a side of her I'd never seen before. She actually rigged the bathroom door to shock someone trying to open it, and then steered everyone but Ryuuji away from the bathroom.  
  
" Hey, where's the bathroom?" Ryuuji asked Kaiba.  
  
" Down that hall to the left." Yuki interrupted before Kaiba could answer. Kaiba flashed her a strange look, and Ryuuji (who didn't think Yuki had it in her to set up any particularly good pranks) went off in the said direction. I remember Yuki looking unusually pleased with herself.  
  
" What's up with you?" Kaiba asked her. She smiled sweetly.  
  
" Oh, you'll see in a minute." She said. And about a minute later...  
  
FF-ZAAAAP!  
  
" Ow!" Ryuuji howled. He said a lot of other things too, and we had to cover Charity and the boys' ears. Himeko was the first to figure it out, and she burst out laughing as Ryuuji barreled back into the room.  
  
" Who wired the damn door?!" he screamed. Himeko only laughed harder, and at that point, the other yamis caught on.  
  
" What do you mean, wired?" Yuki asked, smiling in a fashion too innocent even for her. Ryuuji glared at her, cradling his right hand to his chest.  
  
" Oh, this means war, you can be sure of that." He growled. Yuki blinked at him.  
  
" What means war?" she asked, still feigning innocence.  
  
Unfortunately, Yuki did get her just desserts, when she and Mai were walking in the back door, Yuki leading the way. She opened the door, thus causing a bucket of ice water to fall on her, bucket and all. Ryuuji was waiting just ahead of her with a Polaroid camera. Now, we had been playing softball just a few hours before, and the big bat us guys use was sitting there in the kitchen. Yuki grabbed it and chased him around the house with it, threatening to "knock that stupid brick you call a head right off your shoulders, if you'd just hold still!"  
  
And that's how life went. A prank here, a near death experience for Ryuuji there. Ryuuji's favorite dice got knocked down the drain "accidentally." In retaliation, the next time Yuki turned on the kitchen tap, the sprayer hose Ryuuji "didn't" rig gave her a good spray. Ryuuji's plans for some new dice monsters got "misplaced," and Yuki's favorite book was conveniently "lost." Yuki had the upper hand, though, because all she had to do was let out a cry of distress, and Honda, Yami, Himeko, and Bakura were all over Ryuuji.  
  
But despite it all, life was good.  
  
Should have known something was going to throw us all for a loop.  
  
Or someone.  
  
*+*+*Unknown*+*+*  
  
I ducked as a dishrag flew past where my head had just been.  
  
" I can't believe you! You're sure they didn't see you?!" she screamed at me.  
  
" I swear, sis! Really! They didn't see me! I hid in the bathroom until they left!" I yelled, stepping out of the way as she swung the frying pan at my head. She suddenly calmed down. A trademark of our family. Sudden, violent tantrums that vanish as quickly as they start.  
  
" You're absolutely sure they didn't see you? Or sense you?" she asked.  
  
" Yeah, I'm sure. None of the yamis were with them. Just those three." I said, glad she wasn't trying to knock my head clean off. She sighed.  
  
" Well, that's good, at least." She said, turning back to the dinner she was preparing on the stove. I sniffed. Mmm, smells like enchiladas... Yum, I thought. " No more close calls, okay? We're not ready yet. This is hard enough, since we have to make it without Rashid, and with you-know-who to deal with."  
  
" I know." I agreed. " Speaking of which, where is he?" I asked, looking around the small kitchen of our apartment as though I expected him to suddenly jump out at me.  
  
" Asleep. He tired himself out during his last tantrum." She told me, shaking her head. " Why is he so violent?"  
  
" I don't know." I said, looking down at the table I was sitting at.  
  
" You should. He's your yami." She told me over her shoulder.  
  
" Trust me, I know." I said, cradling my head in my hands. " You think I chose this life? Neither one of us got much of a choice, remember?" Her spoon clanked loudly and suddenly against the side of the pan.  
  
" I do." She agreed. We were silent for a few minutes.  
  
" When can we make contact? I miss Ryou and Bakura." I said. She glared at me over her shoulder.  
  
" How do you think the Pharaoh would feel to see you again?" she asked. I shrugged.  
  
" I don't think he gives a damn about me." I said.  
  
" He doesn't. But yamis and hikaris come in pairs." She noted. I sighed.  
  
" I guess you're right." I agreed.  
  
" I know I am." She told me. " Don't worry. We'll be able to make contact soon." I sighed again. Soon, she said. I was sick of hiding now. Granted, the Pharaoh would probably blow my ass right off the face of the planet, but still... At least then I wouldn't be hiding like a sniveling coward.  
  
We had arrived in Domino a few months ago, around Thanksgiving. We're still not sure how. One minute we were in a gods-forsaken little village in some tiny European country where we were pretty sure no one would find us, and the next, we're in a rainy field in Domino, watching a girl we'd never seen before duke it out against another, equally powerful girl. We made sure they didn't see us, except for that one little accident. Ryou caught a glimpse of me, but he was smart enough not to out-and-out tell anyone. So instead of trying to get back to our tiny European country, we rented a nice apartment and had our stuff sent over to us.  
  
We managed a nice existence there in Domino, always careful to avoid any of them. We drove miles every morning to a school on the other side of town so we wouldn't attend the same one as them. But that morning, I had almost screwed up. I had been at a nearby store, picking up some groceries for my sister, when suddenly, three of them walked in. It was Yugi, Anzu, and Ryou. It wasn't until I saw him that I realized how much I missed Ryou. But I stuck to the promise I had made. They didn't see me, or sense me. I made sure of that. But I was sick of hiding, all the same.  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
" Oh, that Ryuuji really ticks me off!" I squealed angrily. Next to me, Mai giggled. She had talked me into accompanying her to the mall. Ryou snickered on my other side.  
  
" You know, they say when two people fight, they really care about each other." She noted. I stuck out my tongue.  
  
" Yeah, right. Keep dreaming." I muttered as we went out the door.  
  
" I'm sure he will." Ryou intoned. I playfully pretended to try to hit him with one of the shopping bags Mai was making me carry. Ryou just laughed at me, then started to chase me out of the mall.  
  
" Hey, wait up, you two!" Mai called after us. I shrieked as Ryou tickled me, putting on another burst of speed... And running headfirst into some innocent bystander. Both me and said bystander fell on our butts.  
  
" Oof!" the air in both our respective sets of lungs came rushing out. I looked up, ready to apologize. I saw a young man sitting across from me, staring at me like he'd seen a ghost. He had bright blonde hair, so bright I thought it was dyed at first, but upon closer inspection I saw it was natural. His skin was dusky and nicely tanned, darker than mine ever was in its prime. And his eyes were such a bright, odd shade of violet I thought he was wearing contacts. Next to him, a girl with grayish eyes and long, straight black hair knelt down. She shared his dusky complexion.  
  
" Are you alright?" she asked, her Japanese tainted by a familiar accent. The young man nodded, not taking his eyes off me.  
  
" I'm sorry!" I suddenly cried, bowing apologetically. " I should have been watching where I was going!"  
  
" Oh, shit!" Mai suddenly cried. I looked up at her quizzically.  
  
" What's wrong with you?" I asked. Ryou suddenly fell into a fit of giggles.  
  
" Ummm..." the young man looked like he desperately wanted to get away, and the woman beside him looked very anxious. Ryou dashed past me and threw himself at the young man in an affectionate embrace.  
  
" Someone you know, Ryou?" I asked politely, trying to hide my confusion.  
  
Now, this is where things got strange. Turns out, I hadn't noticed all the party of strangers. There wasn't two, there was three. And that third person was not happy. All I really remember is suddenly being jerked to my feet and something cold against my neck.  
  
" Don't move." A slightly raspy and very menacing voice cautioned me. I held quite still as strong arms wrapped around my waist to secure me.  
  
" Yami!" the young man I'd seen before cried. My eyes flitted to him. A yami? Another yami? " Alright, that's enough, Yami. She didn't do anything wrong." The young man said, holding his hands up, trying to calm the person holding me. An angry grunt answered him. Ryou stood up, frowning.  
  
" He doesn't recognize her?" he wondered out loud. I smiled at the young man comfortingly.  
  
" Hi, my name's Yuki. What's yours?" I asked. The young man stared at me a little.  
  
" Malik." He offered reluctantly. I felt the grip on me suddenly go lax. The person holding me suddenly wheeled me around to face him. I was confronted with a pair of menacing violet eyes not a shade darker than Malik's. But it was the haunted look in those eyes that stung me. The strange, sick, haunted look of a man who had lost all hope. Suddenly, he released me, and I stumbled by the force of the release into Mai. The yami stalked off a few steps, spun in a circle, and gave me a hard stare. Then he stomped his foot.  
  
" Princess I know, but not Princess!" he cried. He was taller, broader, more powerful looking than his other, but that was a trend with yamis. Mai rested her hands on my shoulders and gripped them. She seemed nervous. Ryou dusted himself off and gave the woman a hug.  
  
" It's so wonderful to see you all again." He said. Then he turned to the yami. " No, Ishtar, she's not the Princess. She looks like her, but she's not. This is the Princess's hikari." He said. I cocked my head.  
  
" Himeko? Is he talking about Himeko?" I asked. Ryou nodded.  
  
" Well, time for introductions. Malik, Isis, you guys know Mai Kajuka, and this is Yuki Motou. Yuki, this is Malik and Isis Ishtar... And Malik's yami." Ryou said. My eyes drifted over the group and I caught a look of shame in Malik's eyes, almost as though to match the haunted look in the eyes of his yami. I smiled as brightly as I could.  
  
" Hello." I said. Malik smiled suddenly, as though warmed by my friendliness. It was startling. The look of shame and depression didn't belong on his face. When he smiled, everything lit up. Everything seemed happier and brighter. I could already tell I was going to like him.  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
Needless to say, my dear brother threw a royal tantrum fit for a Pharaoh. He screamed, yelled, threw things, and nearly choked me when I suggested Midol, since he seemed to be PMS-ing so bad. Tepe and I sat through it all calmly, letting Yami run himself in circles until he was too tired to argue with logic.  
  
" I really don't see what the big deal is." I told my twin brother. His rage rose in my throat like a bitter taste.  
  
" The big deal is he's a freaking homicidal maniac and that doesn't seem to bother you!" he yelled. I leaned away from him.  
  
" Man, find a Tic Tac or something! Your breath stinks!" I complained. I noticed a little vein popping out on his forehead.  
  
" Alright, Ishtar's a maniac. That's given. But who says we have to condemn Malik and Isis? They never did anything wrong. Well, nothing serious. Too serious." Tepe said.  
  
" You take the hikari, you take the yami. That's how it works. We know that better than anyone." Yami growled.  
  
" So? How bad can he be?" I asked. Yami and Tepe both gave me a strange look. " Oh, come on. He can't be that insane. Can he?" I asked. They nodded. " Well, damn." I muttered.  
  
" Look, Isis told me that he's calmed down. Some. Enough." Tepe said. " She says Malik can keep him under control."  
  
" I'd like to see what they define as under control." Yami muttered.  
  
*+*+*Malik*+*+*  
  
I'd never felt anything like it.  
  
Utter acceptance. She really just accepted me and Isis. She didn't care what we had done in the past. I felt like she liked me for me and nothing else.  
  
" Ryuuji, you jerk!" she screamed, running through the living room. " You rigged the sink again!" she accused the dark haired young man who jumped over a couch to avoid her.  
  
" Yeah, well, you stole my lucky dice! Again!" Ryuuji shouted back. " And don't you dare say you didn't do it! I know it was you!" Yuki stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
" Yeah, maybe I did! But that doesn't mean you get to douse me in cold water!" she cried. Across from me, Ryou sighed in exasperation.  
  
" Those two are always going at it." He noted. I blinked.  
  
" Yuki doesn't seem like the type to hate someone." I noted.  
  
" Hate him? No, Yuki doesn't hate. He just grinds her nerves. She does get annoyed." Ryou told me. Just then, the yamis walked in, my own tailing Bakura closely. I sighed.  
  
" Good, at least they're all still alive." I said. Ryou nodded while Yugi sat down next to us, observing the duel we were having.  
  
" Himeko wouldn't have let Yami kill anyone." He said. " Ryou, you're losing."  
  
" I know." Ryou said, giving Yugi a friendly glare. I let my eyes land on the yami Yugi called Himeko.  
  
" So she's really the fabled Princess." I said. Yugi smiled wryly as I observed her in her short black leather miniskirt and formfitting black spaghetti strap top with one of those long, see-through jackets that are so popular lately.  
  
" Doesn't look it, does she?" he asked.  
  
" Or act it." Ryou added as she tackled her brother for some snide remark he made that I didn't hear. My yami and I made eye contact.  
  
he asked me mentally.  
  
I replied.   
  
he noted. I shuddered. I didn't want to think about the darkness that had warped my yami. Just then, a black energy ball shot past my head and that Jounouchi guy ran past Ryou, Yugi, and I.  
  
" Jou, you ass! I'm going to kill you!" Himeko screeched, running after him. Yuki joined us in our little group.  
  
" Wow, Ryou. Are you really losing that bad, or am I not counting right?" she asked. I noted her front was wet. Ryou sighed in exasperation.  
  
" Yes, Yuki. You are counting right." He said. Yuki smiled brightly.  
  
" Okay." She said. I shook my head, unable to believe anyone could be so blissfully naïve.  
  
" Yuki, Yoshi hit me!" one of the little boys yelled suddenly. Yuki sighed now.  
  
" Keep your hands to yourself, Yoshi!" she called. Ryou patted my hand.  
  
" Welcome home, Malik." He said. 


	24. Too Tired

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty-Four... Too Tired  
  
A/N:  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I lay awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about anything. But as much as I tried, problems kept swarming through my head, problems with no feasible solution. I just wanted to sleep... I rubbed my hand over my eyes and rolled onto my side, heaving a helpless sigh as I tried to get comfortable. Just then, a baby's squall ran through the halls. I sighed again, forcing myself onto my feet. I stumbled through the hall a few doors down, to Charity's nursery. She cried and cried. It seemed like that was all she did. I wondered to myself often if she was colic. But she didn't respond to any of the comfort motions that my mother had used with Yoshi and Yukio. I scooped the infant into my arms, gently rocking her back and forth as I padded in my bare feet out into the hall again, her cries waning to distressed coos. I moved through the mansion to the kitchen, where I opened the fridge one-handed and pulled a pre-prepared bottle from the shelf, popping it into the microwave. I sighed as Charity began to cry again.  
  
" Hang on, it's warming up." I crooned, but to no avail. I wanted to cry too, but I didn't. My mother had been my age when she had me. I wondered if this was what she went through. My sixth sense flared as someone entered the room, and I whipped my head to see Malik padding softly in. He stared at me and Charity, who was still crying like the world was ending around her. Annoyance flared in my throat. " What? Never seen a baby cry before?" I asked. I was tired, exhausted. And I had more problems on my hands than I knew how to deal with. So I felt perfectly justified in being a little upset.  
  
" No." Malik told me matter-of-factly. That cooled me down, especially since the microwave began beeping at me, and Charity, who knew that sound, cried even harder. Malik winced as I yanked the microwave open. " Man, how does she breathe when she does that?" he asked. I didn't dignify that question with an answer, too concerned with getting Charity to notice the bottle. She finally did notice, and with a noise that sounded like she was telling me "Well, it's about time," she began sucking happily away. I sighed, exhaustion creeping over me.  
  
" Don't you have any siblings?" I asked Malik. He seemed surprised I remembered he was even there.  
  
" Huh? Oh, just Isis. I'm the baby." He told me, smiling shyly. That smile of his lit up his dark face. Charity cooed in my arms and Malik shifted. " Man, she's small." He noted. I smiled.  
  
" Babies generally are." I said softly. " I can't imagine growing up without little kids running around." I said absently. " I've always had tons of kids around me."  
  
" I was never really around people much. Just Isis, and my mom, when she was alive. And Rashid, our old family servant. But that's it." Malik explained. So that explained the bewildered look he wore most of the time. We must have looked like a madhouse gone wrong to him. Charity squirmed in my arms, pushing the bottle away. I propped her against my shoulder instinctively as she hiccuped. " I just can't believe I was ever that small." He said with a sigh, leaning close to study Charity. She cooed and grabbed at his golden earrings, making him lean back suddenly.  
  
" Watch it, babies love shiny things. She'll yank that right out of your ear, whether you like it or not." I advised. " And I can promise you that you were once this small, if not smaller." Malik shook his head and sighed, then leaned close to Charity again. " Wanna hold her?" I offered. Malik floundered a moment before nodding reluctantly. I carefully placed Charity in his arms, helping him prop her against his shoulder. She heaved a baby sigh and toyed with his bright hair.  
  
" She's heavier than she looks." Malik noted, shifting a little under the new weight. " Cute, though." He noted as she burped and sighed again. I could tell she was going to sleep.  
  
" She likes you." I said. " She never sleeps with anyone she doesn't like. She'll cry forever and a day if I leave her with Honda. He's just not good with babies." Malik laughed a little.  
  
" So she likes Yami Bakura?" he asked.  
  
" Loves him." I answered, returning his smile. Suddenly, my sixth sense went off again as Malik's yami slipped silently into the room. I fell silent. Himeko calls me naïve, but I'm not stupid. I remember very clearly who was holding a dagger to my throat. And I know a dangerous guy when I see one. But I also know a lost guy when I see one. The yami paused and observed Malik with Charity, grunted, grabbed some food item from the pantry, and left. Malik shook his head after he was gone.  
  
" He's not a bad guy, once you get used to him." He told me. He looked like he was pleading with me.  
  
" He... Doesn't talk much, does he?" I asked, trying to be polite. Malik shook his head.  
  
" No, not really. He thinks actions speak louder than words." He explained. " Um, I think she's asleep." He added, motioning to Charity. I started and took her.  
  
" Thanks for holding her. I needed a break." I said, sighing as Charity curled against me.  
  
" It's fine." Malik said, then looked closely at me. " You look tired."  
  
" Lots of stuff on my mind." I said by way of explanation. A guilty look flashed over Malik's face.  
  
" Sorry. I guess we're a problem. I know Yami Yugi doesn't like having me and my yami around." He said, looking at the floor with rapt interest. I shook my head.  
  
" I don't mind. The more, the merrier. And Ryou seems to like having you here." I said. " Yami... holds grudges easily, and he doesn't like forgiving. Besides, Charity likes you." Malik smiled.  
  
" You think?" he asked.  
  
" Yeah, I do." I agreed. Malik walked with me to Charity's nursery, and watched me lay her in her crib. Then he followed me as I checked on the boys systematically, pausing to place a blanket on Yoshi, who had sleepwalked across his room and laid down beside his video games. Then I came to Seto's room. Malik hung back, nervous. He was very conscious of how others reacted to his presence. I went in without further thought, finding Seto asleep at his desk. I pulled a blanket over to him and put it over his shoulders. I decided I would try to talk him into taking a break from work and getting some rest. He needed it.  
  
Malik went to his own room, the one he was sharing with his yami for the night. Isis had kicked them out for some reason I didn't catch. I went to my room and lay back in bed, all my problems coming back with a vengeance. Malik was a nice guy, but he was right. The presence of he and his little family did cause problems.  
  
To start with, tension was high. It had been a few months since the Ishtars actively joined us, and we were nearing the end of our junior year. Malik went to a school across town, and it didn't make any sense to transfer him so close to the end of the school year. But since it was the end of the year, there was a huge rush to prepare for semester finals. And when yamis get stressed, they fight. Not a day had gone by for two weeks without Himeko burning someone with her energy balls, or Yami threatening the crush someone's soul. That made us all tense. And the tension between Yami and Malik's yami was affecting us. Those two rarely openly fought, but the tension was thick when they were in the same room together, and the niceties strained. To add on to the school related troubles was the fact that Mokuba was getting into fights again, and Seto and I had repeatedly had to meet with Yukio's teachers about his behavior. Yoshi had had detention four times in the past two months.  
  
Social troubles ran abound as well. Aside from the obvious tension Malik's yami, who insisted on being called Ishtar, caused, there were other troubles. Bakura, who had yet to falter in his attraction to Himeko, was slipping back into depression. While Ryou remained healthy and unharmed, Bakura was showing up at school with dark circles under his eyes, and too often for comfort Jou informed us that he was hung over. Ryou reluctantly admitted that he was staying out late at night and coming home drunk. No one knew what to do with him. Malik was eager enough to try to milk what was troubling Bakura out of him, but the poor Egyptian was told in no uncertain and rather vulgar terms to mind his own business. Himeko tried to talk to him, but after getting told off by a hung over Bakura, she refused to speak to him. Which resulted in more tension. On top of that, the friendly fights between Honda and Seto were rapidly becoming vicious and violent.  
  
And then there were my personal problems. I was stressed, and I knew it. That day at the spa Mai got me for Christmas was nice, but it didn't last. I was often tired, not just because of late nights with Charity. My illness was getting worse, and fast. I'd been fainting in school, and I pretty much lived with a headache. I was beginning to think that Seto had a suspicion about why, too, which only stressed me out more. The company had been piling work on Seto, and I didn't want him worrying about me with all he had to do. Everyone seemed to up to their eyeballs. And because I was stressed, I'd started having more power surges, which made us all even more stressed.  
  
The next thing I knew, it was morning. A morning like any other. I got up, dressed, and stumbled into the kitchen. One of the maids had already tended to Charity, who was in her highchair, goo-gooing away. The boys were up, groomed, and appeared to be in good shape.  
  
" Got your homework, Yoshi?" I asked.  
  
" Yes, Yuki." He answered dutifully.  
  
" Did Seto sign your permission slip for your field trip, Mokuba?" I requested.  
  
" Yes, Yuki." Came his response.  
  
" Yukio, did you-" I began, but Yukio interrupted.  
  
" I brushed my teeth and my hair and I got my show-and-tell." He told me in advance. I smiled wearily.  
  
" Good." I said, then sighed. " Look, no trouble today, okay? Just... Please, promise you'll try?" I pleaded. The three looked up at me affectionately as Charity cooed.  
  
" We'll try." Yoshi promised. Yukio crossed his heart while Mokuba nodded solemnly. I sighed, noticing Malik bound into the room. He seemed to bring happiness wherever he went.  
  
" Morning." He greeted everyone. The boys smiled and greeted him. They seemed to like him. Charity shrieked happily at the sight of him, and he smiled. " I'm not getting close to you. You're one big mess." He told her. Charity shrieked again. Just then, Ishtar stalked into the room. He flipped his wrist in greeting, and I nodded to him. Malik followed him out the door, knowing that if he wasn't on that bike of theirs when Ishtar decided to leave, he'd get left behind. Just as they were going out the door, Seto ran into the kitchen.  
  
" Slept in." he said in explanation as he grabbed a piece of toast. I turned down the one the maid offered me, my stomach revolting at the sight of it.  
  
" Imagine that. You were only up till two last night." I said. Seto glared at me.  
  
" Don't nag at me, girl." He said. " Those board members are merciless. It's not my fault."  
  
" I know. But it's not good for you." I replied. Yoshi looked up from his eggs and pointed his fork at me.  
  
" Don't be a hypocrite. You're the one up at odd hours with Charity." He reminded me. I shot him my own glare.  
  
" Someone's got to feed her. If you want to get up at three to do it, feel free. I could use the sleep." I retorted. Yoshi shrugged.  
  
" Sure thing." He agreed. I was about to tell him I was being sarcastic, when the limo honked outside. Seto grabbed his briefcase.  
  
" Enough. Let's go." He said, tossing Yukio his bag. Mokuba grabbed his and Yoshi took his own from me. And that was how the day started.  
  
We got to school with no incident, and Charity was dropped off at Grandpa's. We walked up to our usual table in the courtyard, where Yami and Himeko were having their usual fight, Yugi was calmly talking with Anzu, and Mai was sleeping with her head on the table.  
  
" Do you two ever take a break?" Seto asked Yami and Himeko as we walked up.  
  
" Bite me." Yami told him.  
  
" Don't even start with me, Seto Kaiba!" Himeko snapped.  
  
" Whatever. Just don't bug me." Seto said, sitting next to Mai, who scooted over companionably to share the table as he leaned down to rest himself. Jou, who arrived just then, snuck up behind him and rapped on his head. Seto sat up and made a very rude gesture at Jou.  
  
" Hey, if I can't sleep, neither can you." Jou said happily.  
  
" Shove it." Seto retorted. Honda slid up behind me and greeted me with a hug, and Seto glared at him. They didn't say anything to each other, though.  
  
" Hey, where's Ryou and Bakura?" Anzu suddenly asked. Yugi looked around, as though he expected to see them in their usual spots, Ryou on Anzu's other side and Bakura standing with Yami and Himeko.  
  
" Dunno. Aren't they usually here before us?" he asked Himeko, who shrugged.  
  
" I know Ryou is, but I don't know or care about Bakura." She said, emphasizing Bakura's name to make her point that she was mad at him by refusing to call him by his Egyptian name. I shrugged. I knew Ryou was too much of a good student to skip, even if he was sick, and he always dragged Bakura along for the ride.  
  
We went on in our usual manner for a few minutes, when suddenly, those of us with sixth senses fell silent. We sensed it before we saw it. Malik was on the school grounds, and Ishtar was with him. They were moving quickly in our direction. The next thing we noticed was the dormant, or unconscious, presence with them. I jumped up with more energy than I'd had in months and ran over to the courtyard entryway. Malik was waiting for me, a distressed expression on his face.  
  
" It's Ryou." He muttered to me, watching warily as Yami and Yugi jogged up behind me. Ishtar nonchalantly slipped an unconscious Ryou off his shoulders.  
  
" Sleeping on the street." He said quietly, his voice hoarse and distorted. " Bad hurt." I didn't need Malik to interpret for his yami, kneeling down to inspect Ryou. His left eye would have been swollen shut if he was awake, but even though he wasn't, I could tell it was nasty shade of blue and purple. There was a long cut on his right arm, and when I slipped my hand under his head, I felt the huge goose egg bump on the back of his head. Himeko knelt down with me, rage distorting her features.  
  
" Damn him. Damn that bastard to hell." She muttered. She looked up at Ishtar and spoke to him in Egyptian. He replied, in the same broken and distorted speech. Himeko paused, considered, and proceeded to give him simple and clear instructions. He nodded, picked Ryou up, and carried him off.  
  
" Where's he taking Ryou?" Jou asked, unable to hide the suspicion in his voice.  
  
" To Grandpa's house." Yami said, whose native tongue was ancient Egyptian, standing up. He grimaced, and looked at Malik. " He'd better not screw up." He growled. Malik kept his face tactfully blank.  
  
" He won't." he promised.  
  
" Lovely. So we've got a drunk and enraged tomb robber on our hands." Himeko growled.  
  
" Bakura hasn't hurt Ryou in ages!" I protested.  
  
" So what?" Himeko scoffed. " He just did. This is a problem and it needs to be dealt with."  
  
" So, you're skipping?" Mai asked.  
  
" You bet." Yami said.  
  
" We'll be sure to take extra good notes for you." Honda promised.  
  
" I'm coming!" Yugi and I both chimed in.  
  
" No, you're not!" Himeko and Yami shot back.  
  
" Am too!" we both cried.  
  
" Whatever." Yami and Himeko conceded. Yugi and I exchanged a triumphant look.  
  
" I've spent a lot of time around Bakura. I'll come too." Malik said. Yami growled, but no one protested. And that would be how we ended up piling into Yami's car. Just before I climbed in, Seto grabbed my arm.  
  
" Be careful, okay?" he whispered into my ear. I smiled up at him.  
  
" I will." I promised him. He opened his mouth to tell me something else, but Malik pulled me into the car just then. I ended up wedged between Yugi and Malik in the backseat, while Himeko sat in the passenger seat and Yami drove. Malik kept one eye on Yami at all times. I don't think it was that Malik didn't like Yami. It was that he didn't trust Yami's temper. And Yami was already unhappy. Malik's current philosophy seemed to be, "when faced with a pissed former Pharaoh, don't agitate the situation." Personally, I agreed, and Yugi and Himeko seemed to feel that same. So we all kept very quiet.  
  
And that's how it stayed for the next three hours. Cramped and quiet. We drove all around town looking for Bakura, but we didn't find him. So Yami drove us home, or his idea of home. Grandpa was waiting for us at the door.  
  
" Do you five have any idea how worried I've been?" He yelled as we climbed out of the car.  
  
" Oh, damn." Himeko muttered, her face going pale.  
  
" Watch your mouth, young lady. You're of royal birth, so act it!" Grandpa ordered. " Yami, you know better than to run off and skip school and not tell me where you're going! You and Himeko should be setting an example for your hikaris! And as for you two, Yugi and Yuki, I am extremely disappointed in your lack of good judgement. I certainly thought better of you than this!" Grandpa continued to lecture us loudly. Malik shifted uncomfortably. " And you, young man, are going to catch it when you get home. Your sister's been frantic. She's been calling me every five minutes, asking if I had any idea where you were. Your yami seemed to know, but she can't get a straight answer out of him. And on top of all that, your yami drives up to my house with Ryou on the back of his motorcycle, bloody and unconscious! I nearly had a heart attack!" Grandpa continued.  
  
" Is Ryou okay?" I asked eagerly.  
  
" He's in the hospital, for your information. They told me that he might have a concussion. Isis is with him right now, and I think Ishtar is too. The doctors had to call Mr. Bakura, who is on a very important archeological dig in Kenya, and I can tell you firsthand that he was not happy at all." Grandpa informed us crossly. Himeko opened her mouth to say something, most likely foul, but closed it again. Malik winced.  
  
" Um, can Yami drive me to the hospital? I should probably talk to Isis. She'll want to yell at me." he asked meekly. Grandpa glared at Yami.  
  
" He can, and he had better come right home, because I need to discuss with him the terms of his punishment." He said severely. Yami nodded, eyes downcast, and motioned for Malik to get into the car. " You." Grandpa said, pointing to Himeko and to Yugi. " Go to your rooms. I'd better not hear a peep. You're in a world of trouble." Then he pointed to me. " You are going to sit in the kitchen and help take care of Charity until Kaiba comes to pick you up." We all nodded, and stumbled over ourselves to obey. I couldn't remember Grandpa ever being this upset with us. We usually told him everything we were doing, dangerous or otherwise. I went into the kitchen, fatigue creeping over me. In her playpen, Charity gurgled happily at me. She appeared to be happy, so I picked up a few toys she had thrown out and put them back in, and then sat at the table with my head in my hands. Charity cooed at me, her red fuzz covered head rolling to look in my direction as she kicked and flailed, shaking one of those gel-filled chewing rings.  
  
" Tired?" Grandpa asked me suddenly. I looked up at him and sighed. I hadn't heard him enter the room.  
  
" Yeah." I admitted. He nodded.  
  
" Thought so." He told me. " You look it." He sat with me at the table and sighed. " Must you all try to solve every problem yourselves?" he asked.  
  
" I guess we're used to being able to." I said. " Bakura's been drinking." I told him suddenly.  
  
" I thought so. I saw him last Friday morning. He looked like he'd been to hell in a hand basket." He informed me. " There's nothing you can really do about this, Yuki. You can't make this problem go away."  
  
" I don't want him to hurt Ryou anymore, or himself." I said.  
  
" I know you don't. But, Yuki, you have a bad habit of trying to save the world and everyone in it all by yourself." Grandpa said, laughing a little. " You can't do everything, and you can't make everyone's problems disappear. This is something Bakura has to fight by himself. If he decides he needs help, he'll find a way to get it." Grandpa paused as Charity cooed loudly. " You're already taking on so much for a girl your age. Raising three boys and a baby girl, not to mention all your other responsibilities." He told me, nodding to the golden orb around my neck. I fingered it absently. Suddenly, the urge to chunk it in the trash overcame me. I swallowed it. " You're going to kill yourself with the stress. But that doesn't matter to you, does it? You're already dying." He noted. I looked up at him.  
  
" What?" I asked.  
  
" I know, Yuki. I've known for a while. Remember when I took you to the doctor last month, when you started fainting in school?" he asked.  
  
" When they said I'm anemic?" I clarified.  
  
" Yes. The doctor had a few of his colleagues look at you. He told me he'd never seen anything like it. Your body seemed to be falling apart from the inside. He couldn't diagnose it, and no one else could either. So he went with the best bet and said you were anemic, but you're not. He told me that if your body kept going like it was, you'd die in about two or three years. And that was if you led a stress free and relaxed life." Grandpa paused. " Yuki, Yugi is my grandson. I love him. And because of that, Yami is my grandson as well, and I love him. And because of that, Himeko is my granddaughter, as are you, and I love you both as well. I love the boys, and I love Charity. I love you all. If I had known what would happen, though, I never would have given Yugi the Puzzle. I thought it would help him, not kill you."  
  
" The Puzzle's not killing me, Grandpa. It's not your fault." I said, but I couldn't keep the distress from my voice. It didn't bother me that I was dying. It bothered me that someone knew about it. " Please, don't tell the others. I-"  
  
" I won't tell them, Yuki." Grandpa promised, interrupting me. " This is your fight, not mine or theirs. Just like Bakura has to face his alcoholism alone, you have to face your death alone. I just wish there was a way to stop it."  
  
" I won't be alone, Grandpa. I have all of you with me, always." I said, smiling wearily. " I promise I'll fight it to the end." I really did mean it, but I was so tired. I didn't think I could fight anything at all. I didn't know if I'd be able to get up again, much less fight anything or anyone and win.  
  
*+*+*Malik*+*+*  
  
My nerves were shot. Try riding in a car with a guy who hates you and your yami with a passion, and knowing he's stressed and ready to kill something and upset. Yeah, now think about how you'd feel. Uh-huh. I felt about ten times worse.  
  
Well, I did live through the ride. Yami dropped me off and left without saying goodbye. Well, I thought, I can be snooty too. So I ignored him as he drove off and went into the hospital. I hate hospitals. I don't like how everything is so painfully white, and I hate the way it smells. Like hydrogen peroxide. It smells clean, too clean. I like things that are clean, but that's too clean even for me. To top it off, it feels so impersonal and uncaring. And this is where people come to be taken care of? Man, what is the world coming to?  
  
I walked up to the front desk. I was raised speaking ancient Egyptian and Arabic. So in a way, I'm bilingual. I've learned a number of languages, aside from that, including Japanese. But Japanese, despite being the language I currently use the most, is not my native tongue. Ryou tells me my accent is very good, but it isn't his native tongue either. And I always have to think about what I'm going to say and how I need to say it. Communication is difficult for me, a trait given to my by my yami. I prefer soul talk, and communicating telepathically. Talking to my yami is easiest, since he hears my every thought and feeling. But the clerk sitting at that desk could not. So I had to communicate verbally.  
  
" Umm, what room is Ryou Bakura in?" I asked slowly. The nurse looked up at me, giving me a suspicious look. My faint accent always got me that look. That, and my odd, contradicting appearance.  
  
" What's your relation?" she asked me.  
  
" I'm his best friend." I said. I was lying through my teeth. I had no clue if I really was Ryou's best friend. But I hoped Ryou wouldn't mind. The nurse looked at me with that suspicious look again, and then tapped at her computer.  
  
" What did you say his name was?" she asked. I repeated Ryou's name, and she asked me to spell it. So I did. Then she told me his room number, after giving me a sultry glare. I had a mind to tell her I was sorry I made her do her job, but I kept my mouth shut. Then I had to figure out what floor the room was in. I ended up asking a janitor. He directed me to the second floor. I didn't want to ride on an elevator with a bunch of strangers, so I ran up the stairs. When I finally did find the room, Isis was in it. Ryou was still asleep, looking a little better than when I'd last seen him. He'd been cleaned up, and there were bandages where he'd been cut. He was hooked up to one of those heart monitors, which upset me. Isis read my expression.  
  
" It's just a precaution. Since he has a concussion and he'd already fallen asleep, they need to make sure his heart keeps beating." She told me in Arabic. It felt good to hear my language.  
  
" Where's my..." I paused. There is no good word for "yami" in the Arabic language. " ...other?" I finished.  
  
" Outside. He tried to smoke in the room, and the nurses kicked him out. He'll be back in a bit." Isis told me.  
  
" I told him to stop that." I muttered absently, looking at Ryou. His breath was coming smoothly and evenly.  
  
" We both know he'll do what he wants." Isis responded. " Malik, you scared me today. The school called and told me you never showed up. I called every number I could think of, and you weren't there." I looked at the ground guiltily.  
  
" I'm sorry." I said. Isis sighed.  
  
" Just don't do that again. Call me or something, okay? Tell someone where you're going and what you're doing. I'm not going to lose you, too." She told me. I was touched by her sentiment, but I wasn't sure how to express it. So I just nodded. There was still one major problem, though. Bakura was still on the loose, drunk and most likely upset. I wasn't eager to think of the implications of that scenario. 


	25. I'm Sorry

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty-Five... I'm Sorry  
  
A/N: And because it's been so long, you get a double helping. Sorry. v_v RF is a bad authoress...  
  
*+*+*Seto*+*+*  
  
I almost cried when I saw her, asleep on the Motou couch. She looked so thin and frail. So tired. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was a mess, she looked like she hadn't slept in a month, her skin was sickly pale, her frame frighteningly thin, but somehow, I thought she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Next to me, Himeko heaved a sigh.  
  
" As though she didn't already have enough problems, now Bakura's gone and caused even more." She said. I could hear the barely concealed anger in her voice. " Listen, we'll keep Charity here tonight. It won't kill me and Yami and Yugi to get up and take care of her. Yuki deserves a full night's sleep." I smiled at her gratefully.  
  
" Thanks." I said. Himeko shrugged as Grandpa Motou walked in.  
  
" Get that girl home and to bed." He instructed me. I figured he must have still been mad, and he was probably upset at me for allowing them to run off. Apparently, though, the punishment hadn't been too harsh.  
  
" Did she ever go to the doctor like I told her to? I made the appointment." I asked him. He nodded.  
  
" Yes, I took her." He answered.  
  
" And?" I prodded. Grandpa Motou shook his head.  
  
" And, they said she's just anemic. They want her to take some medications that'll cost a small fortune to keep her awake." He said.  
  
" And you don't think they're right." I finished for him. Himeko shook her head.  
  
" I can tell you for a fact that Yuki is not anemic." She said. " I ought to know." She added ruefully. " But there is something wrong. At first I thought she was just losing her appetite like all girls do about this age, but this... this has gone too far."  
  
" She'll be fine." Grandpa Motou promised us. Himeko shook her head again.  
  
" I'm her yami, Gramps. If anyone knows her, I do. I feel her emotions, her thoughts, her pain." She reminded him sadly. " She's hurting, Gramps, Seto. She's hurting, almost all the time. She's so tired, she can barely walk. She doesn't tell us, even me, because she doesn't want us to worry. But, well, damn it. You'd have to be a fool not to see it."  
  
" Watch your mouth." Grandpa Motou said automatically, making Himeko smile. Then he looked at me. " Take her home. Make sure she gets plenty of rest." I nodded, leaning down and picking her up. She shifted in my arms, alarmingly light.  
  
" Seto?" she asked groggily, her red-violet eyes peering tiredly up at me.  
  
" Go back to sleep." I told her softly. She nodded, sighed, and pressed her face to my chest.  
  
" I'm so tired..." she muttered. I cast a worried glance at Himeko, who gave me a helpless look. Suddenly, Yuki's body went stiff. " Charity!" she cried in dismay. " I was watching her and I fell asleep!" she wailed, kicking her legs to be put down. I tightened my grip and refused. As he came down the stairs, Yami cast us an amused look.  
  
" Himeko, Yugi, Yami, and Grandpa are going to watch her tonight. Relax." I said sternly. Yuki reluctantly went limp in my arms again, allowing me to carry her out into the sunlight and to the limo. I didn't want her to be sick. I wished against it with all my heart and soul. I needed her, more than I'd ever needed anything before. But Himeko was right, and I realized it as Yuki fell asleep in my arms on the way home. This had gone too far.  
  
*+*+*Malik*+*+*  
  
I watched Isis as she spoke into the phone out of the corner of my eye. The rest of my vision was trained on Ryou. I didn't want to look like I was eavesdropping. My yami had his upper half slung out the window of the hospital room, smoking one of his awful cancer sticks.  
  
" Yes, Pharaoh... No, he hasn't... They said they can't do anything more until he wakes up... No... He's in the room with us... Smoking a cigarette... With all due respect, Pharaoh, tell him yourself..." Isis laughed suddenly, and I couldn't help but notice the way her face lit up. My yami looked into the room, blowing out a cloud of smoke.  
  
" Pharaoh can bite himself." He said in his strange, broken way, drifting between Egyptian and Arabian. Isis glared at him.  
  
" I'm not your messenger." She snapped. " My apologies, Pharaoh, I was speaking to my brother's yami... Alright. See you soon." She hung up the phone and looked at me. " They can't come down tonight." She announced. I looked at her fully.  
  
" Why? Did they get in that much trouble?" I asked. Isis, my solemn sister, actually smiled humorously.  
  
" No, not at all. The Pharaoh said they only got yelled at. But Yuki collapsed again, and they're watching the baby for her so she can get some rest." She explained.  
  
" Oh." I muttered, looking back to Ryou. He still seemed okay, breathing evenly and looking angelically peaceful. But I wanted him to wake up. I felt Isis rest her hands on my shoulders.  
  
" He'll be fine." She told me.  
  
" I hope so." I muttered.  
  
" I wonder where Bakura is." Isis wondered. My yami laughed suddenly, tossing his cigarette to the ground, two stories below.  
  
" Tomb robber is staring at bottom bottle that broke into many, many pieces like hard heart." He said. Images flashed across his mind, all too open for me to see. Isis looked to me for the translation.  
  
" Bakura's looking at the bottom of a beer bottle that broke into a thousand pieces, like his own heart." I said. Isis nodded.  
  
" Pain in soul. Soul is bleeding, and no Band-Aid." My yami continued, looking back out the window. " Broke the pretty mirror into little parts, because cannot look at own face, and now hand is bleeding like soul."  
  
" There's a hurt in his heart that he can't fix. He broke a mirror... what does that have to do with anything?" I cocked my head as my yami gave me a look that said figure it out, dummy. " Ryou." I realized suddenly. " Ryou is Bakura's mirror, and Bakura broke him. Because he couldn't bear to look at himself through Ryou." I elaborated. Isis shrugged, but my yami, pleased with me, nodded. " And now he hurts because he injured Ryou, right?" I asked. Again, my yami nodded. I was the only one who could understand him.  
  
" There is afraid. Fear of trying to pick up broken mirror, that hand will bleed like red river when shattered glass turns." He said.  
  
" Bakura's afraid that if he tries to make amends with Ryou, Ryou'll reject him." I explained. After that, my yami seemed to be out of things to say. " I guess he feels like we all hate him."  
  
" Well, some of us certainly seem to have a reason to." Isis said, nodding to Ryou.  
  
" Ryou doesn't hate him. He just pities him." I protested, surprising myself. Isis seemed surprised as well, but she didn't question me.  
  
" It must be a hikari thing." She said with a sigh. I shook my head.  
  
" No. It's a Ryou thing." I corrected her. " I have trouble getting along with my own yami when he's nice." I added. Right on cue, my yami turned his head to stick his tongue out at me.  
  
" Hikaris strange little things." He said. " Malik even stranger." He added with triumphant tone.  
  
" You're one to talk." I shot back. He shrugged and tapped his head.  
  
" Thinking is different. Not wrong. Just different." He reminded me. There was nothing wrong with my yami, really. He just had some odd ideas. He explained it to me once in sequences of images he relayed to my mind. People think in a certain sequence. They pick up the world around them through their senses, then they process the information, determine the best course of action, and then take that course. Most insane people's thinking gets screwed up in the processing stage, or when they're choosing the best action. Not my yami's. He's fine until he gets to the executing stage. For some reason, he's unable to take the action he chooses. It's better than the way he was before, when the entire process was screwed up for us both. That's why his speech is so weird, though. Since I can see his thoughts, it's easy for me to see what he's trying to say. But because he's forced to express himself in a manner most people associate with loonies, he became a loony because he was so labeled. It's a psychological thing. We become what people label us as. His thinking is warped, and I might be a little warped because of the bond we share, but his intentions are good. He only wants what's best for me and Isis. He wasn't always like that, but I'm glad he is. He's so much more pleasant when he isn't bent on the destruction of humanity.  
  
Ryou woke up the next day, complaining of a headache. I could have cried when they told us he was going to be fine, but I didn't. Ryou stayed with us at our apartment, sharing my room, after he got out of the hospital. For a few weeks, things went back to normal. Finals got steadily closer, Yami and Himeko fought more, Charity started teething, and Yuki collapsed three more times in school. Several times Isis brought Charity home with her to help lighten poor Yuki's load, but the exhaustion never seemed to lift from her face. She wore years on her frame that she hadn't yet earned. Ryuuji even stopped with his practical jokes (I think that has a lot to do with the fact that all four yamis ganged up on him and threatened him with his soul, life, and sanity). I noticed that my yami seemed to have become good friends with Himeko, and Bakura - before he disappeared - was regular part of their little group. Even Yami Yugi joined them. But Himeko seemed to confide in my yami. And that's where my little side adventure began.  
  
I'm still not sure how they talked me into it, but somehow they did. I do know that one night, when my yami and I were sleeping over at the Kaiba Mansion and Himeko happened to be there, I woke up screaming from a nightmare. We were sleeping in the living room, and Himeko was with us. She cradled me like a child and sang old Egyptian lullabies that tugged at those few faded memories I had of my mother. The next morning I mentioned it to her and told her that people paid to hear talented singers like her. I don't think it was the promise of money that got her going. I think it was the chance to see if she was good enough to perform. So she spoke to my yami about it, and he dragged me into it, and that's how I found myself leaning against Himeko's dressing room door. Her brother didn't know where we were. He thought my yami and I were at home with Isis, who thought we were sleeping at the Kaiba Mansion again. Kaiba and Yuki thought we were home, and Himeko was at the Motou house. The Motous, in turn, thought Himeko was at the Kaiba residence. In reality, we were in a nightclub, and Himeko was nervously preparing for her first public performance.  
  
" Are you ready yet?" I called, checking my watch nervously. She was supposed to perform at eleven sharp. It was five minutes till. Next time I was going to insist we bring Ryou, so I'd at least have someone to talk to, and someone to help me make her hurry.  
  
" I can't do this!" she cried, terror in her voice. How odd. This was a woman who had stared death in the face and grappled with pure evil. And something as small as a performance at a nightclub was shaking her up?  
  
" Sure you can. You sing to Charity. You sing to me and my yami. You sing for your brothers. Why not these people?" I asked.  
  
" That's different! I know you guys!" Himeko cried.  
  
" You're never going to see these people again, in all likelyhood, and most of them are drunk. You'll sound great to them if you gargle salt water. I think that's a lot less scary than singing for someone I know." I said calmly, in Egyptian. " Besides, the manager's paying you a nice sum for you to sing here. He thinks you're good, I think you're good. Hell, Princess, I know you're good. So does everyone else who's heard you. Now will you please get out here? The stage manager dude is about to shove his clipboard down my throat." Which was true. He was totally cussing me out in Japanese, and I didn't know all the words he was using. But I could remember them and find out what they meant later. He didn't like that I was talking to his performer in a language he didn't understand. He'd just have to get used to it.  
  
" Fine, I'm coming out." Himeko grumbled, in Japanese, and stepped out. She looked nice. Very sexy, if her exotic beauty is what you go for. She was wearing a black see-through duster that brushed the floor over a black spaghetti strap dress that came down to her upper thigh. Her bright red- violet eyes glimmered. She was wearing make-up, which was something she didn't make a habit of. Her skin was golden, reminiscent of her old glory. Her head was held high, her shoulders back. She looked every bit as royal as her brother ever did. " Well, how do I look?" she asked.  
  
" Beautiful. Sexy. Hot. Amazing. Fantastic. Breath-taking. Stunning." I said. " Did I miss anything?"  
  
" Perfect. You forgot perfect." She said, smiling at me.  
  
" Perfect." I added. My yami approached, a murderous look in his eye. He relayed a series of images involving the sleazy manager of the club threatening to turn Himeko's performance into something less than honorable. Then he sent me an image that he had made up, about tearing the manager's throat out. I got the message. Nobody threatens my yami's precious princess. Himeko seemed to be included in the movie reel, because she laughed.  
  
" Let him. I don't care. I'll just blow the whole joint up." She said. Great. I was stuck with two homicidal yamis, and now they were kamikaze on top of it all. I checked my watch again. I was used to yamis.  
  
" It's time." I said unceremoniously. The stage manager was back.  
  
" You've got your music?" he asked. Himeko held up a karaoke CD and the manager took it.  
  
" It's track four." Himeko said, anxiousness in her voice. " 'Don't Let Me Get Me,' by Pink." She had decided to sing karaoke as opposed to singing something she had written. Besides, Yami Yugi was writing music to go with her songs. Why push it?  
  
" Fine. I'll have you announced, and then you go out and sing. Just like we rehearsed." The stage manager said. Himeko nodded. I could see the creases of worry on her face.  
  
" It'll be fine." I said.  
  
" But what if I totally suck?" she asked.  
  
" You won't." I said solidly.  
  
" But-" Himeko began.  
  
" But me no buts." My yami interrupted. I smiled. I loved Shakespeare. My yami, in turn, liked it as well. And we were both fond of quoting it.  
  
" And now, a vision of beauty in both voice and appearance from the exotic land of Egypt, Princess Isis!" the announcer cried suddenly. I smiled and gave her a gentle shove. There was a polite applause as she stepped onto the stage. They were applauding now. They'd be screaming for more once she'd actually sang. The music began, and Himeko flashed us an uncertain look. We both mouthed the word for "sing" in Egyptian. She turned back to her audience, and even though we were watching her from behind, her entire posture changed. She became strong and confident, a born performer. And then her voice echoed out over the club, clear as a bell, strong and perfectly tuned. Her tone was defiant, yet somehow pleading as well.  
  
" I never win first place, I don't support the team. I can't take directions, and my socks are never clean.  
  
Teachers dated me, my parents hated me. I was always in a fight, cause I can't do nothin' right.  
  
Everyday I fight a war against the mirror... I can't take the person staring back at me.  
  
Cause I'm a hazard to myself, don't let me get me. I'm my own worst enemy. It's bad when you annoy yourself, so irritating. Don't wanna be my friend no more, I wanna be somebody else.  
  
L.A. told me, 'You'll be a popstar, all you have to change... is everything you are.  
  
Tired of being compared to damn Brittney Spears. She's so pretty, that just ain't me.  
  
So doctor doctor, won't you please prescribe me something? A day in the life of someone else...  
  
Cause I'm a hazard to myself, don't let me get me. I'm my own worst enemy. It's bad when you annoy yourself, so irritating. Don't wanna be my friend no more, I wanna be somebody else."  
  
She fell into a repeat of the chorus, but the audience was already applauding. They were hooting and hollering, and few were catcalling. She was a hit.  
  
Himeko had only begun. She began to perform on a regular basis, usually with my yami nearby, at random nightclubs. Anyone that would let her on their stage found she was a crowd pleaser. She loved the audience, and they loved her. She made them happy when she sang about joy, sad when she sang of sorrow, and romantic when she sang of love. Her voice was her medium. Where my yami and I were visual, she was vocal. And she was good.  
  
Ryou made a full recovery. One couldn't even tell he'd ever been hurt, except for the greenish remnants of a bruise under his eye, and a pink scar on his arm. But he was fine. He had a high threshold for pain, and he healed unusually fast.  
  
It was a Friday afternoon. It had been my last day of school, but the others had another week. Lucky me. Ryou was with me, and we were walking down the street to the apartment where I lived with Isis and my yami. He was telling me about how Kaiba and Honda were fighting constantly, and how their spats had gotten violent. I smiled suddenly and laughed.  
  
" What?" Ryou asked.  
  
" I bet I know what they're fighting about." I said.  
  
" Well, are you going to tell me?" Ryou asked impatiently. I smiled.  
  
" Yeah, I guess." I said. " Honda likes Yuki, right?" I waited while Ryou nodded. " And how long has Kaiba been her best friend?"  
  
" Wow, years. I don't even know. Since they were kids." Ryou told me. Then he looked up at me, taller than him by about six inches. " No way. You don't think they're fighting over Yuki?" he asked incredulously.  
  
" Makes sense, doesn't it?" I asked in response as we continued along.  
  
" It does." Ryou agreed. " Wow. Kaiba doesn't seem like the type."  
  
" He does seem like the type who will do anything for the people he cares about." I reminded him.  
  
" I guess." He sighed. " Hey, Himeko sang last night, didn't she? How'd she do?" he asked suddenly. I smiled. I'd told Ryou about Himeko's mounting fame.  
  
" Well, I wasn't there, but from what I saw in my yami's memory, she got a standing ovation." I told him. Ryou knew how good she was. He'd gone with us a few times. I cocked my head thoughtfully. " My yami really likes her a lot. Not that way, but... It's kind of strange. He barely even lets me touch her. He goes crazy when someone else does."  
  
" Your yami lived in Egypt back then. She was his Princess. Maybe that has something to do with it." Ryou suggested.  
  
" Or maybe it's more secrets." I said darkly. I hate secrets.  
  
" He doesn't even let Yami near her. Yugi's yami, I mean. And he's her twin brother." Ryou noted. I shrugged.  
  
" He's protective. We both know that." I said. " By the way, how's Yuki?"  
  
" She wasn't at school today. Kaiba said she collapsed again this morning, so he sent her to bed with strict orders not to get up for any reason." Ryou said, laughing sadly. " We all know she won't listen." He added. " I'm worried. When I met Yuki, she was really tough. Nothing got to her. She summoned the Key the first time and she got up right after that and walked away. Now she has trouble getting up in the morning."  
  
" You think it's got something to do with the Key?" I asked. Ryou shrugged.  
  
" How can we know? No one's ever summoned it before, so we have no clue." He said. " There is something wrong, though."  
  
" I don't want her to die. I just met her, and I don't want her to die." I said.  
  
" Don't be dramatic." Ryou told me, but I saw the worry etch over his face. " She's not going to die."  
  
" She's not a yami, Ryou. She's mortal. She can die." I reminded him.  
  
" I'd rather not think about it." Ryou said. But the fact remained. We were all thinking about it. But Ryou is sensitive about death, so I dropped the subject.  
  
" Himeko's got a performance tonight at that club." I noted instead.  
  
" What club?" Ryou asked, slightly suspicious.  
  
" Oh, what's it called? It's supposed to be hot stuff..." I muttered, tapping my skull with my knuckles. " Oh, it's called Light Show. It's a bar, but it's also a dance club for all ages. The bar's roped off." I said. My yami kept me informed about these things. " Want to go?" I asked. Ryou shrugged.  
  
" If I don't, I'll just be sitting around the apartment doing nothing." He said. I smiled. I liked being with Ryou. He was my stable ground that I stood on when the world swirled and tilted around me. He made me feel content and happy. I wanted to protect him from all the hurt the world could give him. But how could I, when at that moment, that hurt took the form of his other?  
  
*+*+*Himeko*+*+*  
  
I'd gotten used to performing. I didn't even think about it anymore. It came naturally, thank the gods. That first time was scary, but now, it was easy. There was also something reassuring about the fact that Ishtar was out there in the audience, ready to whisk me off if I felt threatened. I liked knowing he was there, a steady reminder of the good things in my dark past, firm, strong, and unwavering.  
  
" And now, let's give a warm welcome to tonight's star, a star that fell from the exotic Egyptian skies!" The announcer cried. Some of the people in the club had seen me last time I'd performed here, and they were already applauding. That made me smile. " Princess Isis!" the announcer continued as I stepped onto the elevated stage, in full view of audience. I was reassured by the sight of Ishtar at a table near the stage, Ryou and Malik with him. I was slightly surprised by the fact that Mai and Jou were also with him. But I shook it off and heard the soft beat of bongo drums beginning. Tonight's performance was Dido's "Thank You."  
  
" My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all. The morning rain clouds up my window, and I can't see at all. But even if I could it'd all be gray. But your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad.  
  
Drank too much last night, got bills to pay, my head just reels in pain. I missed the bus and there'll be hell today, I'm late for work again. But even if I'm there they'll all imply that I might not last the day, and then you call me, and it's not so bad, it's not so bad.  
  
And I... want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life. And oh... just to be with you is having the best day of my life  
  
Push the door, I'm home at last, and I'm soaking through and through. And then you handed me a towel, and all I see is you-" Then I saw it. A flash of white hair, pale skin, at the bar. My stomach went cold and anger rose in my throat, rivaled only by hope that maybe it was him. " And even if my house falls down now, I wouldn't have a clue... Because you're near me.  
  
And I... want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life. And oh... just to be with you is having the best day of my life." I fell into a repeat of the chorus, my eyes glued on that little blotch of familiar silver that wasn't Ryou. Too sharp, too angled. The blotch rose from his seat, looked right at me with shame and sadness written on his face, and left. I looked back to Ishtar, still singing my chorus, and he nodded. He'd seen him too. Ryou was shivering involuntarily, and Malik's head was whipped around, watching him leave warily. Malik would protect Ryou, whatever it took. I finished the song, dropped the mike, and jumped off the stage and ran over to the table those three were at. Mai and Jou joined us.  
  
" Well, of all the bars in town, he had to show up at this one." Mai growled. Her and Jou must have seen me staring at him and turned to see what I was looking at.  
  
" He probably heard about Himeko." Jou said. Ishtar shook his head and looked at Malik. I sensed him asking Malik to translate his thoughts verbally.  
  
" Yami says that the tomb robber would have most likely avoided this place if he'd know." Malik said. Everyone had gotten used to the idea that Ishtar didn't speak for himself often. I ignored them all and shoved past Jou, running out the door. The night was warm outside, and he was easy to spot walking down the street. I started to run after him, but running in boots that come up to your thighs with three inch heels is no mean feat, and I couldn't do it. I tripped and went down. When I looked up, he'd stopped. He'd sensed me behind him, but he wasn't looking at me.  
  
" Tepe, wait." I called belatedly. He didn't turn around, but he didn't walk away either. " This is all my fault, I know, and I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me ever again." I called, trying not to cry. " But... but... I want you to know, especially if you do never want to see me again, that I'm sorry. I really am. I screwed up. Again." I sniffed, looking down at the ground. " I always screw things up. The people I care about always get hurt, no matter how hard I try to protect them." I confessed. I looked up again, and he hadn't moved. " It took all this to make me realize how important you are to me, Tepe. You... mean so much to me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I... I want to help you, Tepe. I will help you. I won't leave you alone like that ever again, because... When you disappeared... I got a taste of what it feels like. I'm sorry I did that to you. I won't do it ever again... If you want to come home. I miss you." I said. It felt insufficient. But it was the best I could do. I was so sorry. I wanted him to come back. I'd been hiding the sadness in anger, pretending like I didn't care if he fell off the face of the earth, but... I just wanted him to come home. I leaned my head down so that all I could see was the ground. I didn't hear him move, but he used to be a thief. He could be perfectly silent when he wanted. But I felt his hand on my head, moving under my chin, forcing me to look up. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin was clammy, but he was going to be okay. His arms were thin, and I could feel his bones clearly as he held me to his chest, and he smelled of alcohol. But he was going to be okay. He was going to be just fine. 


	26. Like A Doll

The Game of Life  
  
By: Rogue Fox  
  
Part Twenty-Six... Like A Doll  
  
A/N: Getting a little dark here, sorry. But the story's winding up nicely. No one's answering my question from the last two chapters! WAAAH!  
  
*+*+*Yuki*+*+*  
  
I was so exhausted. But I refused to let it show as Himeko slipped out the door I'd been staring at. Her eyes met mine and I questioned her with a look. She sighed.  
  
" He went to sleep." She told me softly. I nodded. " This isn't going to be easy." She added.  
  
" The best way to quit is cold turkey. And he told us both that he wants to quit." I said.  
  
" That doesn't make it easier." Himeko said. " He hasn't yet, but I know he's going to beg for a drink soon. I don't know if I'll be able to tell him no." she confessed in English. We were less likely to be eavesdropped when we spoke in English.  
  
" You've got to. You've got to be strong for him." I said. " Everyone else is still angry." I added.  
  
" How is it that you're the Judge of Ma'at, but you're the most forgiving one of us all?" Himeko asked, smiling.  
  
" Forgiveness is the first step toward redemption." I noted.  
  
" But you forgave him before you'd ever even met him. Why?" Himeko pursued. I shrugged.  
  
" I don't know. Did I make a bad decision?" I asked. Himeko faltered. " I'm human, Himeko. You forget that. Just because I can summon the Key of Ma'at doesn't automatically make me a goddess, incapable of making mistakes."  
  
" I hate it when you do that." Himeko told me after a moment.  
  
" What?" I asked, confused.  
  
" Knock me down a peg without batting an eye." Himeko told me. Her grin became a soft, affectionate smile. " I know you're tired, babe. You can go to bed."  
  
" I'm fine." I said quickly. Himeko's eyes flashed in dangerous rage, but I felt no real fear. Why should I ever be afraid of Himeko?  
  
" No, you're not. You can lie and fool them, but you can't fool me. I feel your every heartbeat, babe, your every breath. So of course I feel it when your pulse is getting weaker and your breath comes in shallow gasps." She snapped. Then her expression softened as she pulled me into her arms to hold me the way my mother used to. I relaxed and let her. It felt good to let her support us both for a few moments. " You're my baby, Yuki, and no matter how much we love everyone else, that's what it comes down to. We're two halves of the same soul. We complete each other. You're getting weaker, and I'm getting stronger." She paused, seeming uncertain. " Are you dying?" she asked suddenly. I smiled.  
  
" I've got no intention of going anywhere for a while, Himeko. I've got stuff to do." I said softly. It was an evasive answer, and Himeko knew it. But she didn't pursue the topic. " No more pain killers for Bakura for a few days, okay? The last thing we want is to get him off alcohol and get him on pain killers." I told her, drawing away from Himeko, who nodded.  
  
" Sure. He's not going to like it, though." She said.  
  
" Be strong." I advised. Then, the thin wail of a baby assaulted our ears. I jogged off, fearful of Bakura waking up. He wasn't in pain when he slept. I got to the nursery to find someone else already there. Malik smiled at me over his shoulder, then scooped Charity into his arms. I smiled back and went downstairs to fix a bottle. He met me there, with Charity in his arms, and I handed him the bottle. Unfortunately, Malik had never fed a baby before, and I had to teach him that. After she had eaten, we quietly put her back to bed and made rounds through the mansion. Ishtar was asleep on the floor of the living room when we walked in, but he cracked his right eye open, studied us, then went back to sleep. I knew without being told that I had been judged as not being a threat, and somehow, that was important to me. Bakura was fast asleep in his bed, and Himeko was dozing off in the chair next to him. The boys were all asleep, and Seto was pulling a late night. I jumped at the sound of the front door opening. I took off down the stairs, feeling Malik staring affectionately after me, my silk robe streaming behind me, and leaped into Seto's waiting arms. He walked up the stairs chuckling, my arms wrapped around his neck and my feet dangling at his shins.  
  
The next morning was Saturday, and I woke up at about nine. I hauled myself out of bed, pulled my robe on lazily, and went down the stairs. The boys were in front of the TV, watching cartoons, and judging by the noise in the kitchen, the others were awake. Ryou was in there, apparently having arrived earlier, making breakfast. Seto and Malik were companionably sipping cups of coffee while Ishtar poured over a newspaper, frowning seriously while Charity cooed and made a mess of her cereal in her highchair. Himeko and Bakura were no where in sight. I cooed back at Charity, mimicking her, and planted a kiss on her fuzzy head, making her shriek indignantly. Just then, Himeko came into the room and snatched the discarded cartoon page from Ishtar, chuckling as she sat down. Just behind her, teetering dangerously, Bakura stepped into the room, wincing at the light. His eyes were red and his frame even more gaunt than before, but he looked at least rested.  
  
There was a moment of silence, thick and tense, as Ryou and Bakura looked at each other. Bakura became even more pale, if that was even possible, and Ryou just stared at him. Now, I'd known Ryou for a while. He'd always been pretty meek and shy. I would have expected him to ignore Bakura, or more likely, forgive him in a fit of pity and run over to him and give him a hug. But somehow, probably because Bakura had stopped being a jerk before his drinking binge and started being a real yami and possibly because of having to learn how to yell and be obnoxious to be heard in our happy family, Ryou had developed a way to express his anger. He chucked the spatula he was using at Bakura's head. Fortunately, the withdrawal symptoms weren't so bad that Bakura's yami reflexes had been effected. He ducked just in time.  
  
" You big stinking jerk!" Ryou bellowed, throwing the pancake mix box. Strangely, Bakura had started laughing and dodged easily. Malik had his head down on the table, cracking up. And suddenly, it did seem funny. Hilarious. Except for Ryou, who was still chucking whatever he could find at Bakura, we were all laughing. " You awful, terrible, stupid... thief!" Ryou yelled. I could see the grin on his face as he threw a wooden spoon that still had pancake batter clinging to it. " Do you have any idea how worried I've been?! I've been frantic! Don't you ever run off like that again!" he continued. Bakura caught the spoon and threw it back. And we all laughed and knew that everything was okay again.  
  
" Here, have some coffee." Malik said. " That always wakes Isis up after she's drank too much." He added, shoving a cup of coffee at Bakura as he sat down, while Ryou retrieved his spatula. Bakura took a drink and grimaced.  
  
" A taste like that could wake the dead." He said, and his voice was hoarse, but I knew he was going to be fine. " Could I please just have some water? I feel like I've swallowed a bag of cotton balls. And my head is killing me."  
  
" No pain killers. I don't want you hooked on those." Himeko said, back to her cartoons.  
  
" Whatever." Bakura said with a shrug. Ryou glared at him over his shoulder.  
  
" Get your water yourself. I'm not your slave." He called. Bakura smiled and rose to go to the cabinet. Just then, the doorbell rang. We all looked up curiously.  
  
" Who could that be? Honda wouldn't be coming so early." Malik wondered out loud. I stood.  
  
" I'll get it." I said, leaving the room before Seto could insist I eat. I wasn't hungry anyway. I jogged past the boys and swung the front door open, completely forgetting to check the peephole like Seto always told me to do. A man and a woman were standing there, dressed in dark, professional suits. Must be for Seto, I thought.  
  
" Hello, can I help you?" I asked politely.  
  
" Good morning." The woman said, offering me her hand. I took it and noticed her strong grip, nodding politely at the man. " Would you perhaps be Himeko Motou? Or maybe Yuki?"  
  
" I'm Yuki, yes." I said, suddenly feeling a sense of danger. A part of me want to slam the door impulsively and lock it tight.  
  
" My name is Tasha Shidou, and this is my partner, Souchiro Hiragawa. We're from the Department of Human Services." The woman said, and my stomach sank through my feet and into the floor. Oh God, I thought, not these people. " We were wondering if perhaps you would let us come in and look around?" she asked. Just a game. I knew this. It was just a game. I couldn't say no, because if I did, it would mean I had something to hide and they'd just come back later with a warrant.  
  
I cried mentally. There was a loud clatter from the kitchen. I figured I must have startled them.  
  
" Of course you may." I said with a big, polite grin.  
  
" What was that noise?" the man, Mr. Hiragawa, asked. I smiled again.  
  
" Oh, we're making breakfast for the boys and Ryou must have hit the pan a little harder than he intended." I explained.  
  
" Ryou Bakura?" The woman asked, looking at a clipboard in her hands. So they'd had us under surveillance, to know who were typically with.  
  
" Yes, how did you know?" I asked, holding the door open for them.  
  
" We're here to check on him as well. His father and sister have been absent for some time." Ms. Shidou said.  
  
I called mentally.  
  
" Boys, say hello to Ms. Shidou and Mr. Hiragawa." I said to the boys as we came into the living room. Fortunately, the three of them had seen enough social workers in their time to recognize them.  
  
" Hello." They chirruped cutely in response. Suddenly, Charity began to squall. I winced.  
  
" Uh, oh dear, Charity must want someone to give her bottle. Please excuse me." I said politely. The social workers nodded.  
  
" Yes, we'd like to ask the boys some questions alone anyway." That woman told me. I felt myself bristle, but I went into the kitchen anyway. Everyone met me with tense expressions.  
  
" I don't think it looks good. They're asking the alone questions." I said. Ryou winced.  
  
" I hate the alone questions." He muttered. I noted Bakura's absence.  
  
" Do you feel comfortable here?" Malik intoned, mimicking the emotionless voice of a social worker.  
  
" Have you ever felt threatened by your guardian in any way?" Seto added, his face twisted into a grimace.  
  
" Are you often left alone?" Ryou asked. " I hated that one."  
  
" My worst was, do you feel that your guardian tends to your needs?" I told them.  
  
" No, I never felt comfortable." Malik said, rolling his eyes. " My dad was a loon."  
  
" Threatened by my guardian. Duh. See the black eye? Doesn't take a genius." Seto growled.  
  
" Yes, they left me alone. Wasn't that obvious? The house was empty when they came." Ryou muttered.  
  
" She was too busy. I had to tend to her needs." I said simply as I picked Charity up from her chair, wiping her face clean on a washcloth.  
  
" Yuki!" Three voices suddenly called. I shot off with Charity.  
  
" They want to take us away!" Mokuba screamed, tears streaming unbidden down his face.  
  
" Make them go away!" Yukio begged me, latching onto my waist.  
  
" Seto, tell them they're being stupid!" Yoshi yelled angrily. My heart stopped and my breath fell quiet. My entire world had come crashing down around me in those few seconds. Charity squalled angrily, beating her fists against my back. She wanted to be fed.  
  
" What is this nonsense?" Seto asked, his voice quivering in barely controlled rage.  
  
" It's not nonsense, Mr. Kaiba. It's very serious. It is our judgement that this home is unfit for the children. The state will be taking them into custody now." Mr. Hirogawa said calmly. Charity bawled pathetically in my ear.  
  
" I forgot Charity's bottle..." I whispered. " Himeko, please get Charity's bottle." I said.  
  
" You have no grounds!" Seto bellowed.  
  
" You are not bettering your case, Mr. Kaiba." Ms. Shidou said soothingly. Seto took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself.  
  
" Get off my property. You aren't taking them from us." He growled. Himeko handed me Charity's bottle and I sank into my usual arm chair, humming a lullaby to soothe the frightened child.  
  
" Don't talk like that, Seto. You're scaring Charity." I mumbled. He didn't seem to hear me.  
  
" We have a warrant, sir. The children will come, or we will be forced to detain you. That wouldn't be good for your business reputation, would it?" Ms. Shidou said, smiling.  
  
" This is clearly harassment! Blackmail!" Malik cried in outrage.  
  
" Yuki, please don't let them!" Yukio sobbed, flinging himself into my lap. I continued rocking back and forth.  
  
" The fact of the matter is, you are all still children yourselves, and no matter how mature you fancy yourselves, that fact remains. We can hardly expect you to take on such a huge responsibility like bringing up children." Mr. Hirogawa said.  
  
" If that was true, you would have come years ago. Kaiba's been taking care of Mokuba all of the kid's life." Ryou said softly. " Yoshi can't remember his mother ever caring for him, and in Yukio's mind, his mother was a woman who lived in his house. Yuki was his mother, in all ways but physical. And Charity can't sleep if Yuki doesn't rock her. Yuki's a better mom than most real moms I've ever met."  
  
" The responsibility is just too great. According to reports from your school, Yuki has developed anemic tendencies, and her doctor has reported that she is alarmingly underweight. This is as much for you as for the children. Yuki will be taken to an area hospital soon, to be properly cared for. You, Kaiba, will be taken to a local foster home, where you can continue to run your company, where we will also be taking the other older Motou children, and you, Ryou Bakura. The children will put into the states custody." Ms. Shidou said.  
  
" What?!" Ryou and Malik both cried.  
  
" You're father and sister's extended absences have been unforgivable. We have given them too many second chances." Mr. Hirogawa said.  
  
" This is absurd!" Seto yelled.  
  
" We are under adult supervision!" Himeko said desperately.  
  
" Ah, yes. Sogoroku Motou. I'm afraid he had simply become too old to care for so many children." Ms. Shidou said.  
  
" No!" I screamed suddenly, startling Charity. I didn't realize I was crying. " No!" I repeated.  
  
" Yuki, you must realize you are simply too weak to-" Ms. Shidou tried to tell me, but I shook my head.  
  
" I can't stop you now." I whispered. Yukio wailed again and Mokuba cried and Yoshi yelled angrily at me for giving up. " But you can bet your nasty jobs that we'll see you and all your stinking lot in court!" I bellowed. " I've taken a lot of crap from you people, and this is the final straw. You can take them now, if you want, but I still see them whenever I can. And they know I love them. You're doing more harm than you know."  
  
I packed the boys' things and Charity's diaper bag while everyone else comforted them. I was sure to pack Yoshi's favorite games, Yukio's favorite stuffed cat, Mokuba's favorite blanket, and Charity's favorite pacifier. I pretended like they were just going on a trip. And Charity bawled and bawled as Ms. Shidou held her in the van they drove. Ishtar snarled at them as they passed, calling them a dirty name in Egyptian.  
  
" You are fools." He said in halting Japanese. " Caring is not killing Yuki. It keeps her alive. You will kill her. Then her blood will be on your hands." They just kept walking, ignoring him. I waved to the boys through the windows of their white van until they were out of sight, and then I sank to my knees, staring, trying to figure it all out. Then all conscious thought ceased.  
  
*+*+*Ishtar*+*+*  
  
Bravery is not the lack of fear. It's doing what you have to, in spite of the fear. Someone very wise said that once, and I completely agree. I came to the conclusion - based on my own observations - a long time ago that the human race on the whole are a lot of cowards. We keep blundering on, tearing our earth apart, ripping into her bowels for her precious treasures, ravaging her lovely green garments for paper and other unnecessary products, polluting her sparkling oceans with our nasty chemicals, killing her beloved children for sport. And we keep doing it, thinking, Oh, well, no big deal. The earth will fix itself. Because we're too cowardly to face the truth, that we've signed our own death certificate. But of course, there are the two extremes. On the negative, there are the terribly cowardly people who harm their fellows for fun, because it gives them a morbid sense of pleasure. I was quite convinced that those "social workers" were of this extreme. But on the positive side, there are those who are beautifully brave, who put their own feelings aside for their fellow man and the world around them. I was convinced that Yuki, the little princess, was of this extreme. Those people tore her world apart before her very eyes. She could have screamed and cried and fought them, blown them right up, and I wouldn't have blamed her at all. I probably would have applauded her. But she shoved her own fear and desperation aside and smiled for the little ones, kissed them and promised them that she'd see them soon. And I remembered vaguely my own mother on her death bed telling me that I had nothing to fear, even though she must have been much more frightened than me. Then the poor little princess just stopped. It was like they had been her source of strength, her balance, and without them, she simply could not go on.  
  
I knew she was quite different from all the others the second I saw her. Her eyes were lit in a way different from anything else, even different from the other hikaris. They all have a different sort of light, but all of their light seems earthly, of this plane. Hers seems to dip down, faint and pale from so far away, from some place else. My own sweet Malik is like the sun burning in the day time, bright and fierce joy, and his precious Ryou like the full moon on a clear night, silvery and beautiful. And little Yugi is like the rosy first rays of light in the morning, and the last golden tendrils in the twilight, sweet and full of promise. But Yuki... That girl is like the soft and gentle light of the stars, from which all began and with which all will end. I can't tell Malik, or anyone else, because I don't know how, but that girl holds the power to give life in her hands... and the power to end it. She will be the one to pass the Final Judgement. I have no doubt in my mind.  
  
But without control, even light can become a tool of evil. Malik's sun can shine too bright and burn those around him. Isis has terrible scars where she was standing too near him when I, in my folly, was not tending to being a yami like I should have been. Ryou's soft moonlight will slow to a trickle until his blood grows cold. Strange, how Malik lashes out without me to temper him, but Ryou turns it inward on himself when the thief neglects him. Yugi's power is usually safely tucked away, since his yami is very attendant, but once unleashed, he, like the Pharaoh, tears apart the souls of man and drives them to madness with his rosy hues burning too bright, only to turn the guilt upon himself when he comes to his senses. Even Yuki's starlight burns wildly like a star going supernova in one final burst of catastrophic energy.  
  
Brave, sweet, little princess, I thought sadly, watching her usually prettily lit eyes shine dully with not a hint of humanity behind them. She had sunk so far inside herself she couldn't have answered us if she had wanted to. Her eyes were like twin stars that had lived too long and were on their final leg. She had been so brave, and it seemed to have taken what little energy she had left, and left behind a hollow shell that just sat there. Pretty to look at, but no humanity, no emotion behind the dull, unseeing eyes. Like a doll, she sat there. She moved when we urged her, walked when someone guided her, but mostly she just sat. I never liked dolls. I hate them. They're sick, twisted copies of people, incapable of thought or emotion. Maybe I hate dolls because they're a metaphor I commonly use to describe myself. A hollow, inhuman shell that copies the form of another... That other being the man I was once. A long time ago. The man I keep catching swift glimpses of in Malik, the man I have hope to become again when I look into Yuki's eyes. But she wasn't there, behind the eyes, any more. Those pretty eyes, so like the Pharaoh's or the Princess's, but different. Softer, kinder, more gentle. There was no contempt, like the Pharaoh's eyes, or ruthless hunger, like the Princess's eyes. They even lacked Yugi's burning passion. Those were quiet eyes, the eyes that Yuki saw through, quiet and gentle and full of love and forgiveness. Everyone wonders what makes them fight to protect her. Because they'd sooner die than have to face the corrupt and killing place the world has become without being able to see Yuki's eyes, that forgive even the most heinous crimes and love even the most ruthless killer. But now... her eyes had become sightless and blank, void. I sat across from her, staring hard into the red-violet that was usually so warm and alive. The color had become cold and dead, like color scribbled on a piece of paper by a child. Pretty and everything, but dead.  
  
My face puckered in a flash of uncontrollable rage, the swift turn to anger that I was prone to. Red seared across my consciousness and into Malik's, who flashed me an uncertain look. I knew I'd pay in spades for what I was going to do, but if it did the job, then so be it. I drew back my hand and slapped the girl I had become so fond of, straight across the cheek. The sharp smack echoed across the room and her eyes went alight once more, alive in rage and fury. Her power surged forward, like the aforementioned star going supernova.  
  
" Bastard!" The Pharaoh bellowed, grabbing me by the color of my khaki shirt and hauling me to my feet. I was by far larger than he, but I was also quite aware that he would tear what little reason and sanity I had left into molecular bits. Paying in spades. But the light coming back to her eyes was worth every bit of it.  
  
" Yami." A swift crack of a voice lashed over us both, and he dropped my shirt. Yuki looked up at us, rubbing her cheek tenderly. The Princess all but tackled her, gently inspecting the reddening and slightly swollen cheek. An entire argument passed between the Princess and her hikari in an instant, and then, the headstrong Princess seemed to concede. Yuki stood, wavering slightly, and popped me across the cheek. It didn't hurt nearly as much as when Isis slapped me, but it wasn't meant to hurt. She was being true to her identity, judging my crime as forgivable so long as I was willing to take the return action, and dealing out her little punishment. It stung, though, although a verbal reproach from her would have stung far more. She smiled at me, and then she was herself again.  
  
" So, what's the plan?" she asked. 


	27. Better That Way

The Game of Life

By: Rogue Fox

Part Twenty-Seven……… Better That Way

A/N: I'm ba-ack! And I can't concentrate because my mother is railing me and my brothers are reading over my shoulders! Anyway, new computer, old story, definitely gonna finish. I'm thinking about going through and just totally revamping this one… Tell me what you all think. Sorry about the monstrously long wait, and if there are any Dragon Knights fans out there, go check out my fic I'm putting out in that genre. Thanks for your patience (even those of you that ruthlessly e-mailed me day after day), and let's get on with the show.

Bakura+

I thought I knew about pain. I thought I was pretty familiar with what it was like to physically cringe in suffering. I was wrong. My entire body was drenched with sweat. My throat felt like every time I swallowed, the parched flesh cracked and blood would flow. Every little muscle screamed in pain. Every beat of my heart thudded painfully in my ears, making my head feel like it was caving in like a poorly supported tomb. Every flicker of light that hit my eyes sent me reeling into the dark abyss of pain. And I loathed every breath I unwillingly drew into my lungs, which screamed as painfully as everything else, for the life it flooded into my blood. I would have given any treasure I'd ever hauled from any tomb to die right then.

But then……… That would have defeated the entire purpose.

I gripped the sheets, trying in vain to ignore the waves of pain that crushed down on me relentlessly. Vague images of my past flashed before my eyes. Images of enemies, images of friends……… And two images that popped up repeatedly. An image of my mother, and another of my Princess Isis. The only two women that had ever held such importance in my life.

I flinched as something cool touched my forehead, cool and soft and wet. My hand shot up out of reflex and snagged the wrist of the person touching the wet cloth to my fevered forehead. The touch was all I needed. There was no malice in that hand. Only deep love and gentle caring, reminiscent of my mother, but not.

Is it that intense, tomb robber, that you would strike at the hand that bore you to safety? a deep, rumbling voice teased at my consciousness in Egyptian. Have you never been told not to bite the hand that feeds you? Don't hurt the hand that loves you, fool. Ishtar continued. I felt my lips curl into a snarl at him, though I would not open my eyes to see him.

" Don't nag at him, friend." A physical voice scolded, also in Egyptian. My head turned automatically to the sound of the Princess's voice.

Only noting his behavior. Ishtar mumbled, thoroughly chastened.

Go note someone else's behavior. I snapped mentally. Ishtar snorted.

Why? You are, by far, the most interesting subject present. I have never witnessed a body enduring alcohol withdrawal. he said. I growled, but it made my throat hurt.

" Enough. Ishtar, go see about some soup for him. Now." The Princess cut in. I felt Ishtar's compliance, but helplessness as well. Without simple and precise instructions, his physical body would simply continue doing what it was previously doing. I felt sorry for him. A man broken and unable to do anything, even speak, the way he wants to. He could only think so that we could understand him, and even then, Malik was still better at it than us. The Princess sighed and proceeded to give the simple and precise instructions to Ishtar. His body moved loosely to obey, like a drone or a mindless zombie. The only clue to the man trapped within was the dull light in his eyes, almost pupil-less, as though he was constantly peering into a perpetual, unbearably bright light. My own pupils were similarly small, smaller than usual because of the withdrawal symptoms, as where the Pharaoh's and his sister's.

" He used to be so intelligent." Isis moaned softly, wiping the sweat from my brow with that wonderfully cool cloth.

The poison scarred us all. I thought at her, unwilling to attempt physical speech.

" He makes me remember it more clearly." She told me, shuddering.

Not intentionally. I said. I'd snapped at him only moments before, but being one of my oldest and most trusted friends in this age, I was eager to defend him.

" Of course not." My Princess said hurriedly. " Yuki looks in his eyes and she sees right past every defense he's set up, just like she does with all of us. And whatever she sees there saddens her deeply. But her sadness is cleansing." She noted.

She becomes more like a deity with every day that passes. I said. Damn, I need something to drink. Give me some water, love. I muttered. She was quick to comply, and I couldn't restrain my joy when she didn't rebuke me for calling her "love." I even managed a physical smile.

" Not too fast." She warned me as I gulped greedily from the glass she offered. The water was cool and soothed my fevered insides. " She told me that she's not a goddess, just a human doing the best she can." She told me.

" Her best surpasses anything any other human can do." I said, venturing to speak physically. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. Princess smiled down at me as I opened my eyes to observe her.

" What's the fate of my little one?" she wondered sadly. " I grow stronger every day while she withers away, growing fat off her loss." Her voice, even filled with sorrow, was wonderfully refreshing, especially when she spoke the old tongue.

" Even light can kill." I whispered. She nodded sadly.

" But why only Yuki? Why only my child? Ryou grows stronger every day, and Malik is perfectly healthy, and Yugi looks taller every time I see him. Why does only my baby suffer?" she wondered angrily. Her anger wasn't directed at me or anyone else. But it was still there.

" I wish I could answer you, but I can't. I don't know." I told her. All I really knew was pain, anyway. I just wanted things to be like they were. I felt it as sharply as everyone else. The despair, the fear. We, even the ones we call mortals, are more in tune to the world than most people. We felt it heaving its final, desperate attempts at life. We felt the chilling claws of death closing over the world. This thing that had happened, the social workers taking the little ones, it was a sign of the beginning of the end. We all felt it. Apocalypse. Doomsday. Raganok. The end of the world.

Isis+

It was good to see the tomb robber on his feet again. He was paler than usual, gaunt, but alive. And we were grateful. We were all grateful to have that small triumph in the face of the terror that none of us dared mention to the others. Malik woke screaming in the dead of night, screaming the Egyptian word for "life." Ryou would sob in his sleep, not awakened but full of despair and sorrow. Yugi would thrash out against unseen enemies, fighting against the inevitable, as was always his wont. And Yuki……… Yuki did not sleep. She would lay awake in the night, eyes closed. She might fool some of us, but the rest of us knew. She feared the dreams that would haunt her if she dared submit to the exhaustion. And when she did, her power surged forward and scorched any near her.

Yuki was the lifeline of bravery that held us all afloat through that time of silent turmoil. We were all afraid, but Yuki still plunged into every day as bravely as ever before. She was taking on a system she protested. Somehow, it was creepy, walking into that beautiful home she shared with Seto Kaiba and not hearing the happy shrieks of children, not seeing her walk up to greet me with Charity in her arms. She made such a wonderful, devoted mother. They took away her world when they took the children of her heart away.

I sighed as Yami pulled up to the mansion. It seemed dark and unhappy. Like my mood. A gentle hand patted my shoulder, and I turned to see the Pharaoh's majestic eyes watching me sympathetically. I knew I should just get up and go in, get out of that car before I did or said something stupid, but I didn't. His eyes held me in my place.

" This bites." I said, copying a phrase I'd heard Malik use. Yami laughed softly. He had such a sad laugh. I wondered what it would be like so hear him laugh with joy and mirth, not with that strange, old sadness that seemed to cling to his features, like a man who couldn't stand to look in the mirror.

" A truly understandable expression." He admits, looking up at the mansion absently.

" He's always been a bit strange, especially since he unlocked that damn Rod, but this is too weird, even for him." I said. Yami shook his head.

" Malik is like his yami. He'll do what he pleases, when he pleases." He said quietly. It was obvious where Yuki had inherited her gentle understanding from.

" What's wrong with him? Why won't he talk to me?" I asked out loud, unable to keep my lip from trembling, try as I might.

" Some things……… are hard to say." The Pharaoh muttered, turning away from me for a second. When he turned back, his eyes were as hard, cold and smoothly beautiful as twin marbles set against the creamy soft gold of his skin and framed my his golden bangs that tumbled around his face. I remembered the majestic king from my visions of the past, and I realized that his eyes had not always been so cold and hard. Like the man I was seeing only seconds before, he had once had kind and caring eyes. But there had always been the taint of sadness in his visage, a deep sadness he carried deep within his heart.

" We should go in." he told me, opening the driver's side door and sliding out of the car. I followed suit.

" I don't want to make Yuki worry." I said doubtfully.

" He won't talk to you or his own yami, he doesn't trust me or Yugi, and I don't think he knows anyone else well enough." The Pharaoh told me softly. " It's the fact that he won't even see Ryou that worries me most." He muttered absently.

" He always tells Ryou everything. He trusts Ryou." I agreed. More than me, I added silently, feeling the familiar twinge of jealousy.

" Yuki's just the best choice. People like to talk to her. She makes them feel loved and trusted and appreciated. It's a talent of hers." Yami said, walking briskly up the stairs to the front door.

" Pharaoh?" I called after him. His shoulders tensed as he turned back to me, his eyes flashing oddly.

" Please, call me Yami." He said.

" Yami." I repeated softly. " Why do you care? Not even a year ago you would have slit Malik's throat rather than look at him." I asked. For a long moment, the Pharaoh I used to see in my dreams didn't respond. He stood there, considering his answer. He was darkly alluring and handsome, a trademark of his kind. He was dressed in black leather that showed his physique off attractively, and his dark, serious face was so majestic and……… well, kingly.

" A lot can change a person in that amount of time." He said finally. Again, I could hear the taint of sadness in his voice. The loss of the children had hurt him as deeply as it hurt Yuki, but his sadness was old, too. " I don't like what Ishtar did……… I especially don't like what he wanted to do." Yami continued. " But that's not Malik's fault. I can't blame him for his yami's behavior any more than I can blame Ryou for his yami being a thief or Yuki for Himeko's bad temper, or Yugi for my faults." He said with a sad smile.

" We've all made mistakes." I said, unsure of what to do. Yami sighed.

" Mistakes………" he muttered with a sad laugh. " My whole life has been a mistake." He told me, promptly turning around and continuing up to the front door. I followed him, his words ringing painfully in my head. His life had been a mistake, my life had been a mistake. All our lives had been a mistake. A pointless, cruel, terrible mistake. A cruel joke that tore us all apart and ripped our hearts to shreds. A hoax that stole my family from me, that took my chance at a real life. A mistake that broke Ishtar, that poisoned Himeko and Yami and Bakura, that scarred Malik, hurt Ryou, slapped Yugi, and was killing Yuki. A cruel mistake.

The mansion was eerily quiet. No laughter, no screaming. Not even Otogi Ryuuji running through the living room to avoid whatever Yuki was throwing at him. Just terrible silence. Yuki appeared at the top of the stairs, coming down at a brisk pace. Sharing her brother's majestic and calm appearance, Yugi's kindness, and Himeko's bright passion, she still managed to look positive, upbeat, and a beacon of hope that – though I'd never admit it – I sorely needed to see. Besides, she had a light all her own, a feeling that was unique to her……… She made me feel happy and confident and……… hopeful. She made me feel like it would be okay.

" Good morning." She greeted us, forcing a small smile on a face that was weighed with years she hadn't earned.

" We have a small problem, Yuki." Yami said, not sparing her the niceties. Yuki sighed.

" I thought so. Your faces were so tight……… But I kind of hoped………" she muttered. I felt awful about making her worry. She had enough on her plate.

" Malik has locked himself in out apartment, and he hasn't come out for three days. He stole my key and Ishtar's, unplugged the phone, and locked all the doors. He's done this before, but never this long. I'm……… worried." I confessed. Yuki sighed again.

" I'll go tell Seto that I'm going out." She said.

Yuki+

I was a sad excuse for the girl Seto took out of Oklahoma nearly a year ago. Thin, pale, sick. But despite what Himeko thought, I wasn't weakening. Physically, my body was dying. I was aware of that. But my soul was more alive that it had ever been. I was buzzing with spiritual energy, and my skill were honed to perfection, like one of Ryou's prize culinary knives. And with that perfection came the sense of dread. I felt myself drawn away, my subconscious pulling my attention somewhere else. But there were problems to attend to. Court. But first things first. Malik was behaving oddly, and Isis had come to me for help. How could I turn them down and call myself a friend? Yami's concern surprised me, though. I didn't honestly think he cared about Malik or Ishtar or even Isis. But somehow, his concern seemed right. I smiled softly at nothing as we pulled up to the apartment complex. I wanted to know that my biggest brother would be okay after I was gone. Which would be soon. Too soon. There was so much to do, and so little time to do it. I was down to months.

" Yell if you need help." Yami told me, concern etching over his features. His sadness washed over me like a slow ocean wave. I couldn't explain it, but the emotions of those around me had become palpable to me. I could feel what everyone around me felt. Yami was always so sad………

" I'll be fine." I promised softly, smiling at Isis reassuringly. She was afraid, and her fear was twisting like a dagger in my heart. She had lost everything she cared about, and all she had left were Malik and Ishtar. She didn't want to lose either of them. I started up the stairs, ignoring the tired aching in my bones. My body was chafing under the pressure of my soul. Soon, the one would devour the other, and I would die. I'd accepted that. It was the world I was leaving behind that made me anxious. Could I leave Charity and the boys to grow up in a world like the one I lived in? Could I leave Seto alone in that world? I didn't think so. I paused at the door of the Ishtar apartment. I couldn't ignore the fact that Malik was upset about something, and I couldn't ignore the fact that I was dying, and I might be leaving the people I love in a tainted, sinful world. It filled me with such intense sadness. I knocked on the door, feeling a sudden upheaval of desperation and grief from within.

" Go away." Malik's voice growled. A frightening sound, I assure you. But I knew better than to fear Malik.

" Malik, it's me." I called.

" Go away." Malik growled again, his voice more insistent. He sounded closer.

" I'd like to talk to you." I continued.

" Why?" Malik asked, despair washing through him and over me. My own grief welled up in my throat. What was making him hurt so much?

" Because I care. Because Isis cares. Because Ishtar cares. Because we all care." I answered. I was surprised when the door swung open, revealing Malik, shirtless with dark circles under his eyes. He looked as upset as he felt. That was easier than I thought it would be, I thought. I slipped past him into the apartment before he could change his mind and slam the door closed. He closed it behind me, though, and locked it tight. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the place was utterly spotless. Malik and his obsessive-compulsive tendencies. But the place looked like it could be an ad for Clorox. He must be really upset, I thought.

" What do you want?" Malik asked.

" To know why you've locked yourself up." I answered.

" I don't think it's any of your business." Malik told me haughtily. I smiled brightly.

" You let me in, so that says you think just the opposite." I said. Malik's well-muscled shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned his back to me. I saw, for the first time, the terrible marks all over his back. I reached out and touched the winged disc at the top, sensing the pain and the agony from deep inside his heart. His shoulders tensed again. " It hurts." I said. It wasn't a question. It was statement of a fact.

" Not so much as it used to……… Since I met Ryou and you and all the others." He told me, turning back to me. He tossed an arm over his shoulder to touch the marks himself. " But I still remember………" he mumbled. I remembered with him. The fear, the confusion, the pain………

" You were just a child." I whispered. And he was, still. At least, like one. With his innocent face and his under-developed physique. Better developed than the other guy hikaris, bigger, taller, but still so young in appearance. His difference was his pain. " What's making you remember these things?" I asked. Malik's face scrunched up in something between anger and grief.

" That's what I've been trying to figure out." He muttered, plopping down on the couch. I sat next to him. I felt a deep affection rise in his heart as I did so. " Why do you care?" he asked me.

" I don't know." I answered honestly. Malik smiled, shaking his head in amusement and tossing his bouncy platinum hair as he did so. His hair seemed to represent his natural personality, bouncy and bright and soft. Suddenly, his face turned serious.

" Yuki, can you do me a favor?" he asked.

" Of course." I agreed readily.

" This is gonna sound stupid." He warned me.

" I've heard a lot of stupid things." I reminded him with a smile.

" I guess so." He said, returning my smile. " Okay, here goes……… Can I hold you?" he asked. His face was so serious………

" Well." I said, cocking my head. " That was certainly not what I was expecting." I admitted to him.

" I completely understand if you don't want to, I mean, that was kinda out of the blue, and, well, I don't think the Pharaoh'd be very happy-" Malik babbled nervously. I managed to shut him up by putting a finger on his lips.

" Sure." I told him. " Go ahead." I think that surprised him thoroughly.

Malik's arms were like scented silk around me, light and airy and smelling of cinnamon and other exotic spices and a single scent I couldn't place……… I imagined that that was the scent of sunlight. I just lay in his arms, warm and safe and content, and he seemed content just to hold me there. We stayed there, both of us companionably silent for a while, before Malik withdrew his embrace.

" Thanks." He said, a slight blush tainting his tan features.

" Mind if I ask what that was about?" I asked.

" Well………" Malik said softly, his blush deepening. " You've got to promise not to tell anyone. Not a single soul." He told me, his expression serious.

" I promise." I said. " As long as I think it doesn't endanger anyone." I added. Malik shook his head ferociously.

" It doesn't endanger anything, aside from my ego." He told me, abashed.

" So………?" I prodded him.

" Well………" Malik repeated, looking very nervous. His anxiety made my stomach hurt. " Okay, for a while now, I've kind of had this problem……… I couldn't ever find a girl I was attracted to." He admitted.

" That's not unusual." I said. Malik frowned.

" But……… I mean……… Damn, how do I say it? Girls……… I wasn't attracted to girls. I'm not attracted to girls." He said. I was silent for a moment as this information sank in. " I kind of figured that, well, you and Himeko were the prettiest, nicest girls I knew, and if I was going to be attracted to any girl, it'd be one of you two……… And I really do love you both……… Just not like that. I don't love any girl like that." Malik suddenly spilled.

" Is there anyone you do love, like that?" I asked gently. Malik squirmed like I was ruthlessly interrogating him.

" I think so." He answered.

" But this person isn't a girl. So I assume it's a guy?" I asked.

" That's the only other option." Malik admitted, still squirming.

" Well?" I asked patiently.

" I think I'm gay." Malik said slowly. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

" That's nothing to shake a stick at. That's pretty serious. You're sure?" I asked.

" Well, the person I……… like……… is a guy………" Malik said, looking pale and sick. I thought he might faint or throw up. " I guess I could be bi……… I never thought about it, honestly." He admitted.

" Just this one person?" I asked.

" Fine. Other guys turn me on, too." Malik said quickly. I smiled.

" I'm glad you told me." I said.

" You're not disgusted?" Malik asked.

" Why would I be? It's the way you are." I said matter-of-factly.

" I don't know……… I think my yami will kill me." he admitted. I laughed.

" He won't." I promised. " Your yami is unpredictable. There's no telling how he'd react. But he won't kill you." Malik didn't reply to that. He just sort of sat there. " So……… Who is it?" I asked, grinning as close to devilishly as I'm capable of coming.

" Who is what?" Malik asked, feigning bewilderment.

" Who are you in love with?" I asked slowly. I thought Malik might pass out on me. His face had grown awfully pale, and I felt a sudden sickness develop in his stomach. " Are you alright?" I asked.

" I'm fine." Malik said, but the weakness in his voice betrayed him.

" So, who?" I pressed. Malik looked like he was going to pass out again.

" No one you'd know." He lied. I sighed.

" Liar." I said. " Truth, please."

" It's not important." Malik said.

" Try again." I told him.

" I want to be sure he feels the same before I tell anyone?" Malik attempted weakly.

" Uh-uh." I told him.

" Fine." Malik snapped, crossing his arms. I grinned triumphantly. He suddenly became very interested in the floor.

" I'm waiting………" I reminded him. Malik glared at me.

" You are so persistent!" he cried. I smiled again. " You've got to swear not to tell another soul!" I said, shaking his fist. I shrugged.

" Sure, whatever." I conceded. Malik looked sick again as he mumbled something under his breath. " I didn't catch that." I told him. He mumbled something again, a little louder. " Sorry, didn't catch that either." I apologize. Malik sighed and took a deep breath.

Ryou+

Malik is obsessive-compulsive in that he cleans. All the time. He cannot stand it when something is messy or gross and near him. It doesn't matter where he is or what he's doing, if it needs cleaning, he will clean it. When he's upset, it's far worse. He'd rub all of Domino down with Clorox – his best friend, he swears it up and down – if someone didn't stop him.

I, on the other hand, am an odd case.

I never considered myself obsessive-compulsive. Besides, obsessive-compulsive cleaning isn't out of the ordinary of unordinary things. But obsessive-compulsive cooking? I think we have a new one for the medical books. But Ryou's not crazy, you say. I must correct this. I WAS not crazy. Heavy emphasis on "was." However, a certain aforementioned tow-headed, psychotic, idiotic Egyptian was making me so.

" Stupid idiot……… Just wait till I get my hands on him………" I grumbled to myself, stirring the makings of a casserole a little too enthusiastically. Malik Ishtar. Former homicidal maniac, neat freak to the extreme, hikari, and currently driving me bonkers. Not as though he were in the same room with me, oh no. I can handle his eccentrics when I'm standing right next to him. No, no, this was something entirely different. " Dumb psycho! How dare he go and lock himself up for three days and not say a word to me!" I cried, slamming my mixing bowl on the counter a little forcefully. I say so because it shattered into a million pieces, splattering the beginnings of casserole all over me. Now, I'm not one to curse. Never got into the habit. " Shit! Damn that dirty bastard to hell!" I screamed at no one. Oops. Spoke too soon. " Why am I even letting him get me worked up about this? Why do I care?" I wondered out loud. " Great. It's one thing to cook compulsively, but to talk to yourself? That's bad, Ryou. Worse to answer." I told myself. Said self didn't listen and kept yapping. " I mean, does he have any idea how worried I was? For all I knew he could be dead in a ditch somewhere!" I cried, attempting to pick up the shattered remains of my mixing bowl. " Ow!" I yelped as I cut myself on a shard, popping the offending finger into my mouth. " Stupid Malik!" I cried around my finger, plopping on my butt in the mess of casserole, no longer caring. I had just managed to thoroughly convince myself that this was entirely Malik's fault, and I was going to enjoy wallowing in self pity without the guilt of maybe saying something or doing something that upset Malik badly enough to lock himself up. Oops. Erase that thought, erase that thought. Too late. I promptly started bawling like a little girl. " It's not fair!" I yelled tearfully, glad no one else was in the house. " It's really not! What'd I do! Huh! Answer me!" I bellowed. All intelligent thought had ceased.

" Ryou?" A soft tenor voice asked. I yelped and jumped to my feet, wheeling around in the process. The last person I expected to see – and the last person I wanted to see right then – was standing there, giving me a rather odd stare. " Ryou, you're a mess." Malik told me, narrowing his eyes as he observed the kitchen. I could just see the compulsive gears clicking into place in his head. " Go take a shower and change into some clean clothes. I'll clean up in here." I nodded dumbly, unable to do anything aside from numbly comply.

I pulled off my messy clothes, which had splatters of all sorts of sauces and batters and a whole lot of one kind of casserole all over them, and abandoned them in the hamper. Then I retreated to the warmth and comfort of the shower. I just felt empty. I was glad I had screamed all my anger and frustration out, but I was definitely not glad Malik had walked in on the middle of it. I stood there in the shower, warm water running off of me, not willing to get out for a very long time. But eventually I did. I pulled on some clean clothes and went back downstairs into the kitchen. Malik was sitting at the table, smiling to himself like a cat that just ate his owner's beloved canary, and sipping a cup of coffee.

" Tea will be ready in a few minutes." He told me cheerfully. I was happy to hear that. I desperately needed a nice, warm, soothing cup of tea. But I was also a little baffled. Malik had never fixed me tea before. What got into him, I wondered warily. Who knew with him? I paused to look around the kitchen, which was – miraculously, cause trust me, that was one big mess – spick and span. I rolled my eyes. So that was why he was grinning like that. Malik loves nothing more than a freshly cleaned room. Malik looked up at me, those big violet eyes blinking curiously. " Expecting company?" he asked. That confused me.

" Huh?" I asked stupidly. How was it that I always managed to sound like a bumbling idiot in his presence?

" The food. You cooked enough for, like, twenty people." Malik told me, pointing to the counter. True enough, there was a lot of food. That being the understatement of all time.

" No, no one's coming over." I said. Malik blinked again.

" Then who's all the food for?" he asked.

" No one, I guess. I just……… felt like cooking." I said dumbly. That sounded stupid, even to me. Malik cocked an eyebrow and looked at the food.

" That is a lot of food." He muttered.

" Help yourself." I said, flourishing.

" Heh heh……… No, I don't think so." Malik said, smiling. " Whaddya say we call the others and tell them they can stuff their faces? You know Honda and Jou will jump on it." He said.

" Okay." I agreed. I felt better. Malik looked fine. I didn't know what his whole episode was about, but I didn't ask. And he didn't ask why he found me sitting in a mess of casserole with a bloody finger in my mouth bawling like a child. And for the moment, it was better that way.


	28. All Ya Need Is Love

The Game of Life

By: Rogue Fox

Part Twenty-Eight……… All Ya Need is Love

Yuki+

Life passed by in a blurry swirl for me. Meeting with lawyers, Malik confessing his……… confession to everyone else, supervised visits with the boys and Charity. My power was swelling beneath my heart and it was very distracting. I knew I was subconsciously preparing……… For what, I didn't know.

I hummed softly as I rocked Charity back and forth. The head nurse mother hovered over me protectively, flustering about my pale complexion. I ignored her, concentrating instead on my heightened senses, listening to Charity's tiny heart thudding steadily in contentment, feeling her simple happiness at being in my arms. My own, more complex happiness welled up in my throat like a wonderful lump. I looked up at the nurse mother, and she started. A lot of people started when I looked them in the eye lately. It was Himeko who had informed me that my eyes had a startlingly clear look to them.

" What formula have you been feeding her?" I asked. The overweight woman sputtered a little, giving me the name of some off-brand I'd never heard of. I shook my head. " No." I muttered. No wonder Charity's little stomach was hurting. " Carnation. The Good-Start stuff. She likes that. She gets stomach aches otherwise." I told her. " And stop feeding her that awful pea baby food. Apple is much better. She also likes carrots, if you insist on vegetables, and peaches and apricots." I continued. " And do you have someone checking on Yoshi every night, like I asked?" I inquired. The nurse shook her dumbly, disbelief radiating from her. She was wondering how I knew all this. I rolled my eyes. " Is it because I'm seventeen that you don't believe what I tell you? Yoshi sleepwalks, and it gets worse as he gets upset, and he's definitely upset." I told her.

" Miss, you shouldn't worry-" the woman started, but I shut her up with what Malik has affectionately dubbed The Look.

" What I should and shouldn't do is none of your business, ma'am. I'm the one who's taken care of these kids all their lives, I know them better than I know myself. Now, I am telling you, start feeding Charity Carnation or she'll start having really bad stomach aches, check on Yoshi every night or he might hurt himself. And make sure Mokuba brushes his hair. He's as bad as his brother. Oh, and if someone could take some time every day to help Yukio with his phonics, it'd be a big help." I instructed strictly, the way I tell the boys to go to bed. Charity gurgled in my arms as Malik approached.

" Don't take the poor woman's head off." He told me in Egyptian. I smiled.

" She's annoying me." I told him, in the same language, handing Charity to him. She shrieked happily.

" There's my favorite girl!" Malik exclaimed in Japanese, holding Charity over his head. " Are these bumbling fools taking good care of you, sweet heart?" he asked in Egyptian. Charity cooed in response. I smiled and forced myself to my feet. " The boys want you over there." He told me, in Japanese again, pointing to where Yami and Bakura had been dueling for the boys' amusement. Mokuba ran over and hugged my waist. I smiled again and made a vain attempt to straighten his hair. Yoshi stood to greet me, and I was shocked.

" Stop growing!" I exclaimed unhappily. Yoshi laughed.

" You can't stop me! I'm on a spurt!" he told me. He was almost as tall as me. Yami laughed.

" Face it, Yuki, we're doomed. Us quads are gonna be short for the rest of our lives." He told me. " We got the shallow end of the gene pool."

" Don't you mean the short end?" Bakura asked with a grin. He looked much healthier. He had gotten into the place by claiming to be Ryou's cousin. Next to Yami, Yugi grinned.

" Speak for yourself. I'm well on my way to being taller than you, Yami." He said. I smiled.

" I'm taller than all of you." I said, picking on the guys. The other hikaris hate that I'm the only girl and the tallest of them all.

" Not me." Ishtar noted in his hoarse voice.

" Yeah, well………" I muttered, searching for an appropriate comeback. I didn't find one. " Oh well. Can't win 'em all, I guess."

" Apparently no one can." Seto noted, nodding to Bakura's side of the duel. " You, my friend, are successfully managing to get a whooping of large magnitude."

" In simpleton terms, please." Bakura said tolerantly.

" Yami's using you to mop the floor." Seto said simply. Bakura threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. I sensed that he was about to put on a little drama.

" One win! That's all I ask, one win! But no, that's too much! Why does fate mock me!" he cried in mock sorrow. The younger boys laughed and Charity threw her arms into the air, copying him. Bakura grinned at her. " See? Someone understands!" he cried, dashing over to Malik and scooping Charity up. " You and me will go mope together." He annoucned, whisking Charity, who was shrieking again, off to a corner of the visitation room. I patted Yoshi's shoulder affectionately, all too aware of the sadness and stress in his chest, and even more aware that our time was up. Ryou, with his sense of time, met my gaze sadly.

" Time to go!" one of the ward mothers announced. Mokuba promptly began to wail, and Yukio followed his example, which set Charity off. Bakura deposited her in my arms to cuddle and coo to while everyone else hugged and exchanged goodbyes. A tired numbness enveloped me as I walked away. Malik hugged my shoulders as we left, but didn't say anything. No one said anything. We all silently climbed on the bus and went to the mansion. Isis was waiting for us with some Egyptian dish on the table, forcing a smile that was too bright. Yami paused as he walked passed her, and put a hand on her shoulder. For a single instant, she seemed to relax into his touch and let that single hand support her. They almost seemed to become one in that moment, and then they were separate again. I sank into my favorite armchair, and Himeko knelt before me. She didn't say anything. Her mind was a blank slate. She simply leaned her forehead against mine. I sighed and closed my eyes, enveloped in the perfection, the sense of completeness, the warmth of our affection. The perfect meshing of two halves of a soul to become the better part of both, to become that whole person who lived five thousand years ago. That girl that used to laugh and love with such passion, the one who died that night when she split her soul into two and put a part of herself into what became me and the rest of herself into what became Himeko.

I was suddenly aware that we were not alone. Strong hands gripped mine, another forehead pressed to both ours. There was the hopeful, promising warmth that was Yugi, the soft, delicate coolness that was Ryou, and vibrant, burning heat of Malik. There was the rush of self-hate and majesty of Yami, the regret and passion of Bakura, the shame and colorful, lightning-quick thought of Ishtar, and the guilt and beauty of Himeko. And my own soft, distant warmth, growing weaker and weaker.

I woke up the next morning feeling rejuvenated and energetic. I bounced down the stairs and jumped happily onto Malik's back, shouting the Egyptian "good morning" greeting to everyone present. Then I ran back up the stairs to Seto's room, hearing the others' laughter as I went. He wasn't there, so I went to his home office. He was sitting there, his head in his hands and his back to me. I tackled him from the side and cuddled close to his chest.

" You're awful happy this morning. Feeling better?" he asked. His voice sounded strangely strained. I nodded.

" Uh-huh. Better than I've felt in a while." I said, looking up into his eyes. I stopped at the clouded look in them. " What's wrong?"

" I just got a call from work." He said slowly. I sat patiently, on my knees looking up at him, and waited for him to continue. " There's a big problem in the Swedish branch. I need to go-"

" Can't you send Hasagawa?" I interrupted, leaping to my feet in dismay.

" Hasagawa's daughter is having a liver transplant. He can't leave." Seto said slowly.

" But……… Now!" I asked.

" In four days." He corrected.

" Four days!" I shrilled, storming across the room. This couldn't be happening. I struggled to bite back the tears that threatened to well in my eyes. Seto got to his feet and tried to hug me, but I stormed away. " Why now!" I asked.

" You think I want to go?" Seto asked in annoyance.

" Why are you, if you don't?" I shot back.

" I have to go!" he shouted.

" Make someone else go! It's your company!" I screamed.

" I can't!" Seto came back.

" Why!" I screamed.

" I just can't, okay!" Seto bellowed. " I hate this, Yuki, I swear I do, but I can't……… I just……… Damn it, girl, I've got to go!" he screamed at me, storming out of the room. I listened to him stomping down the stairs, heard him slam the door, heard the limo wheels squeal as the chauffeur hurried to obey orders, and finally, worst of all, the silence that followed. I stood there, in the middle of the office, computers humming all around me, feeling quite depressed and very abandoned. Tears slipped down my cheeks and a single sob escaped my throat. Then I ran out of the office and to my room, where I fell face down on my bed and silently cried myself to sleep.

The next few days sort of just went by. I have no real memory of them. The next thing I really remember was walking into Seto's room and watching him pack his suitcase. He didn't even look at me, but I knew he had heard me come in. I winced as he shut the suitcase resolutely. He stood up and turned around to face me. I just stared back at him.

" My flight leaves at two tomorrow." He said finally, in a brusque, businesslike manner.

" I……… I packed your favorite lunch. So you won't have to eat airline food." I said. I thought I saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

" It's not like I won't be coming back in a few weeks. I'll definitely be back in time for your birthday." He said. My birthday……… I'd forgotten that was coming up. I'd be turning eighteen. I looked up at Seto. He was only four feet away from me, watching me awkwardly, but I'd never felt farther from him. I suddenly wanted him to hold me, and hold me tight, more than almost anything else. But I knew he wouldn't.

" I know you have to, but I wish you wouldn't leave." I said.

" I won't be gone long. I promise." He said, stepping toward me. But……… will you be back soon enough? I wondered. Will you be back in time, so I can say goodbye to you? Will you be home for the day I die?

" I still don't want you to leave." I said, looking down.

" Why?" Seto asked, pausing a few feet from me.

" Because……… I need you." I said. I want you to hold my hand, when I'm going, I continued silently. I need you to tell me not to be scared. Last time I died, you were with me. This time, I'm going alone. And I'm not coming back. I'm scared. Suddenly, Seto grabbed me up in his arms and hugged me ferociously.

" I'm coming home." He said. " I'll call you every night, I promise. I'm coming home." He swore. I buried my head in his chest in a desperate attempt to shut out the world and all its horrible pain and reality, and memorize his scent. He cupped my chin in his hand and forced me to look up at him. His eyes……… There was something there I'd missed before. A painful look of love……… I wanted……… I wasn't sure what I wanted. But I never wanted to not be able to see that look in his eyes.

The next day, we went to see Seto off at the airport. He joked and laughed and seemed almost normal, but he seemed almost nervous. And that was most certainly not normal for Seto. The other girls made him promise to bring back some genuine Swedish skin care products and meatballs. Seto laughed and complied. Then, suddenly, everyone just pulled back. And we were all alone, together, looking out the window.

" There's my plane." Seto said slowly, pointing.

" Now boarding, Flight 207." The P.A. system announced. Seto sighed.

" Please be safe, and come home as soon as you can." I whispered. He hugged me, and I hugged him back.

" I'm sorry I yelled at you. I just……… I'm so sick of seeing you hurt." He said. I nodded, rushing to wipe away a few stray tears.

" I know. It's okay." I said. " I still don't want you to go." I added.

" I don't want to go either." He said. " I want to be here with you." He told me. He suddenly hugged me again. " I need you too." He said.

" Come home soon." I begged into his neck.

" I will." He promised.

" I'll be waiting for you." I said. As long as I could, anyway.

" I won't keep you waiting long." He said.

" Flight 207, last call, Flight 207." The P.A. system boomed.

" Yuki………" Seto whispered. I looked into his eyes and saw that same look that I'd seen the night before. That sad look of longing. " I want to tell you……… I love you." He said suddenly. Before I could even register what he'd said, he pressed his lips to mine.

It was the single most wonderful moment I had yet to experience.

I watched him run onto the plane, watched the plane pull into the sky, and waved slowly, a hand covering my mouth. Himeko came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.

" So, what'd he say that's got you all red?" she asked. Malik appeared on my other side.

" My yami says that your heart's racing. What's up?" he asked.

" Are you okay, Yuki?" Yami asked sharply. I nodded, but I couldn't make myself speak. Not yet. Seto's words still echoed resoundingly off the walls of my mind, far out of the other hikaris' and the yamis' prying attempts to read my mind.

Seto loved me. Not the brother to sister kind of love I'd always assumed we had. Seto _loved _me. Did I love him?

Yes.

Malik+

I grinned in satisfaction as the offending stain I'd spotted on Ryou's carpet came up without a fight. Ah, the power of bleach……… I stood up to admire my work, then turned around at the sound of someone else entering the room. Ryou cocked an eyebrow at me, then shook his head as though resolving not to ask.

" There was a stain on the carpet………" I started, but I shut up, noticing Ryou was not listening. Instead he stretched out on the couch.

" I made you some coffee. It'll be done in a bit." He said distantly. I studied him for a long moment, everything about him from the troubled expression on his face to the untidy button-up shirt he was wearing to his faded jeans and socks. The left sock had a hole in the big toe.

" Thanks." I said belatedly. " Where's the tomb robber?" I asked, still fascinated by watching Ryou's chest rise and fall with his breath.

" Off with Himeko somewhere." He answered. I nodded, my eyes drifting up to study his perfect neck that led to his perfect pale face, complete with perfect lips, now puckered in thought, dark, preoccupied brown eyes, and perfect, moonlight-pale cheeks. Suddenly, I sat on his stomach, straddled him, and peered down at his face.

" Oof!" Ryou sighed as the air rushed out of him. He looked up at me, as though noticing my presence for the first time.

" What's up?" I asked.

" Huh?" Ryou said stupidly. I rolled my eyes.

" What's got you all thoughtful?" I elaborated. Ryou shrugged, forcing me to readjust my position.

" I don't know." He said. I didn't move from my position as his eyes moved to meet my own, my hands on his chest to balance my weight as I leaned down slightly. " Do you feel like……… I don't know………" he attempted to explain.

" Like the finish line's within sight?" I asked. Ryou nodded. " Yeah, I feel it too."

" That should make me happy. Why doesn't it? Why am I scared?" he asked. I shook my head and smiled down at him.

" I am happy. Right here, right now, I'm happier than I've ever been." I said. Ryou smiled softly. " I'm scared too, about tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that, and about all the days that follow. But you know what? I figure that if we've made it this far, against all the obstacles and odds that were against us, we can make it to the end. I believe that no matter how bad it gets, if I can look around myself and see my yami and my sister and all my friends and……… and you, then I believe that I'll be just fine." Ryou stared up at me for a moment, then sat up, forcing me to get off him. We sat across from each other on the couch, looking at each other. Ryou was the one to look away first.

" Malik, is there someone you love?" he asked. I nodded.

" Sure. I love my yami and my sister, and Yuki and Himeko, of course. And-" I shot off, suddenly nervous.

" No, not that kind of love." Ryou interrupted me. I fell silent.

" You mean, really love? Like 'let's get married and spend the rest of our lives together' love?" I asked.

" Yeah." Ryou nodded. My heart skipped a beat.

" I guess." I said.

" Does he know?" Ryou asked.

" No. And it's hard to love someone that way when they don't even know you love them." I answered.

" Would you tell me who it was?" Ryou inquired, looking at me with the oddest look in his eyes. I looked back, feeling my heart start thumping and my blood beginning to rush and roar in my ears. I felt sort of faint. Lack of blood to the brain, I suppose. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Ryou just kept watching me, but I didn't feel like he was waiting for me to say anything. " Have you heard anything about Yuki?" Ryou asked me, tactfully changing the subject but not taking his eyes off me.

" She's eating again, and she's moving around. Or at least, that's what Himeko told my yami." I said. I'm not one to feel particularly self-conscious. I'm like my yami. I don't care if people are staring at me, I'll do whatever the hell I damn well feel like doing. And Ryou's gaze wasn't anything like the hard, scrutinizing looks that I usually got, the ones that mask thoughts like, " What a horrible, out of control boy!" or " Didn't his parents raise him correctly?" Ryou's look was soft, and had that look of perfect understanding that only he is capable of having on his face. But I felt self-conscious. I fretted over what he thought when he looked at me. I even wondered if I looked decent, which was pretty lame and conceited of me. But I was starting to get a little weird, at least, more so than usual. Once again, I attribute the temporary loss of whatever sanity I had to lack of blood to the brain. Bear that in mind, please. I suddenly heard something in the kitchen start beeping.

" That's your coffee. It's ready." Ryou said, standing up. With his soft look finally off me, I should have felt relieved. On the contrary, I felt suddenly worse. I shot to my feet like a bullet and grabbed Ryou's wrist. Once again, there was an abnormally low amount of blood getting to my brain, low even for the circumstances. Ryou turned back to me, and I swear someone was playing dramatic music somewhere nearby. I nearly wanted to yell at them to shut the hell up, I was going to kiss this person in front of me. I really was. My head was hurting, and I felt like I was going to throw up. But I felt like I could feel everything, you know? Like I could hear mice in the walls of Ryou's house, smell the shampoo he used. Was that lavender? I like lavender……… I thought lazily. I should buy Ryou some mouse traps. What is that annoying beeping noise?

" Your coffee………" Ryou whispered. Damn, he had beautiful eyes. Just perfect, perfect, perfect. Everything about him was just perfect. Did I mention I thought Ryou was just perfect? Perfect is nice……… Please don't forget about the Malik-is-about-to-go-brain-dead-due-to-lack-of-blood-to-the-brain thing. Now, time for one of those romantic little things the guys on Isis's soap operas always say in moments like this. Insert major brain fart, which I can attribute to low oxygen levels in the brain. Okay, no romantic shit here, says brain to Malik. Malik to brain – well, think of something, damnit! Brain to Malik – Hey, I'm running on empty here, man! Stop using your other brain and help me out here! Malik to brain – Oh shit. I can't just stand here like an idiot. I've got to say something! Brain to Malik – You're on your own, buddy.

" Screw the coffee." Is what popped out of my mouth.

Brain to Malik – any more brilliant ideas, Captain Smarty-Pants? Malik to brain – Shut up.

I then decided that my life was no longer worth living and I was going to go home and hang myself.

Brain to Malik – I don't wanna die! Malik to brain – Oh, this is all your fault! If I'm going down, you're coming with me!

Back in reality, Ryou cocked an eyebrow.

" But you love-" he started, but I interrupted him by putting two fingers to his lips.

" You wanna know who I love?" I asked. Ryou nodded silently. I gave him that insane grin I know he loves. Then I kissed him. Long. And hard.

Brain to Malik – That wasn't so bad. Malik to brain – On the other hand, I think I won't kill myself.

And you wanna know what the best part of this whole incident was? Ryou kissed back. With the stupid coffee maker beeping oh-so romantically in the background.

Ishtar+

At about two o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon in the middle part of July, a very odd thing happened. I couldn't hear Malik thinking. This was a very odd thing indeed.

Malik and I have the strongest soul link of all the yami-hikari pairs. I've been with him longer, and I need him to speak for me. He needs access to my thoughts to do that. We ended up getting to a point where the link is wide open all the time. Now, here's something to compare that too. The Princess hardly ever accesses her hikari's thoughts. Most the yamis leave their hikari's be most often, and only open the link beyond vague feelings ever now and then. Most often, they feel it when their hikari is scared, threatened, in pain, or badly upset. But they don't feel every emotion, hear every thought. I hear all of Malik's thoughts. From the moment he wakes up to the moment he slips into sleep and even when he dreams, I hear his every whim and fancy. And it works both ways. I'm a highly visual person, and so is Malik. We think in pictures. Well, Malik thinks in pictures. I think in colors. The colors of my thoughts will splash over the walls of Malik's consciousness in unison with the splashes in my own. We never turn the bond off. We dream each other's dreams, share each other's nightmares. Malik has some really scary ones. So you can imagine the sudden start I had when all of the sudden, Malik just cut the bond off completely. It was like he suddenly stopped existing. I was laying on the Motou couch when it happened, eyes closed, listening to Malik run through some odd internal dialogue in our heads and the Princess argue with her brother about who had to do the dishes. Yugi had conveniently disappeared. The tomb robber was sitting on the other end of the couch, arms crossed and not really caring that I had draped my legs over his lap. He was watching the Princess. He was always watching her. I sat up suddenly, feeling Malik's sudden absence from my consciousness. It was like someone had pulled the rug out from under me. The tomb robber blinked suddenly, cocking his head.

" That's odd." He muttered.

" What's up with you?" the Pharaoh asked me. I shook my head and tapped it, suddenly feeling at a loss. The old tightness in my chest returned. The feeling that the words were there, just trapped in my throat.

" Ryou just shut down the link. Totally. I can't pick him up at all." the tomb robber announced, standing up. I nodded violently and pointed to him. I hate being unable to communicate. " Malik too?" he asked me. I nodded again.

" Think they're in trouble?" the Princess asked, her pretty little head cocked thoughtfully. She didn't look so very different from the first day I saw her……… Just darker. In the spiritual way. I stretched and shook my head, laying back on the couch. I didn't say anything, though.

" No, they're fine. It's just kind of weird. Ryou never cuts off the link. And Malik and you are always in full contact." Bakura mused. I shrugged. I wanted to tell him to stop fussing like a mother hen, but I couldn't make the thought form into words. Malik was a big boy. He could take care of himself. And he wouldn't let any grief come to his precious Ryou. No need to send out a search party yet.

" Well, I guess everyone needs their privacy." The Pharaoh said. That's the smartest thing I've heard out of your mouth all week, I thought amusedly. I like to commentate conversations mentally. It keeps me busy. I get bored just listening. Bakura shrugged and sank to the floor, where he promptly began playing a game sort of like solitaire with his Duel Monsters cards. How he was doing it, I didn't know, but I didn't ask. Not like I could, anyway.

I never talked much. All my five thousand some-odd years of existence, I never talked much at all. I knew I always went at things differently, and people used to give me funny looks when I talked. My speech wasn't slurred and mismatched, like now. My grammar was actually very concise. I was a scholar in training. It was the things I said that made people stare. I was never completely normal. I was always a little odd, different. But……… I never knew I needed speech so much. Being unable to effectively communicate killed me. I hated it. Even in Egypt, I could write. But words……… In this time, the thoughts formed perfectly fine, but……… I couldn't give them words. I couldn't make them live in the physical world, give them life in sound. I hated it. I felt surpressed, confined, trapped in the warped passages of my own mind with my own little thoughts swirling around like stray ricocheting bullets with no where else to go. No words to give them freedom.

Malik was my freedom. He was my mouth, my voice. All my thoughts found freedom through his mouth, his voice gave them life. I thanked the gods every day for that blessing, that his voice would be my freedom. I loved Malik's voice. Many a fevered psychotic episode had been soothed by his smooth tenor voice alone. I loved the way it would pitch when he was surprised, or when he was going through puberty. I loved how it would get deep and husky when he was embarrassed. After so many years of agonizing forced silence, Malik was willing to share his beautiful voice. I had a voice! We passed thoughts effortlessly. We love our privacy, both of us. We're loners. Malik's a hell of a charismatic loner, but a loner. More by environment than by nature, whereas I'm a loner by nature, but we are both loners. But Malik is a part of my privacy. His consciousness brushing against mine is a part of my own consciousness. I thought at first it would kill me, always sharing our thoughts. Malik thought so too. He thought he wouldn't be able to handle being with someone else all the time. But……… It came so effortlessly, so easily. So naturally. His thoughts and consciousness were mine. His voice was our voice. He was……… The only word I can come up with to describe everything Malik is to me is "freedom." He freed me from silence, from madness, from hate……… and from the dark. Malik was my sanity in a world that hated everything I was.

I guess I dozed off a little, lying on the couch listening to the twin teenage terrors bicker endlessly, because the next thing I remember is Jou coming into the room, Mai right behind him.

" Hey, guys," he announced as Mai ushered a girl I vaguely remembered into the room. Just very vaguely, I knew that soft face, those greyish-brown eyes, and that youthful appearance. I couldn't remember where, though. " You all remember Shizuka, right?" Yami nodded and shook Shizuka's, the little girl with Jounouchi, hand. Bakura did the same. I made myself get to my feet, still not quite remembering where I'd seen her before. " Oh, well, Ishtar and Himeko, you might not. This is Shizuka Jounouchi, my little sister." And then it clicked. I had seen her before. On the sidelines of Battle City. In Katsuya Jounouchi's most cherished memories. Shizuka. She didn't seem to recognize me, though. She wouldn't, would she? It would be Malik she recognized, Malik that bore the brunt of her hate. She smiled at me, bowed, and greeted me politely. I stared at her. She was pretty. I hadn't seen a girl I'd really thought to be pretty in……… Well, since I first saw the Princess. I opened my mouth to say……… something. Anything. Nothing came out.

" He……… He has a problem with talking. It's just not as easy for him." Yami explained, searching for the right words. I opened my mouth and closed it again, like a fish.

" Ishtar." I said suddenly. It popped out of my mouth. No one expected it, me least of all. But it came, clear as a bell, not a single halting or stutter. I pointed to myself and tried again. " Ishtar." Clear as a bell. Perfect. I spoke!

" Nice to me you, Ishtar." Shizuka said, smiling. I wanted to say more, but the words died in my throat. But I had spoken. There were words in me. I could speak. I could. And that made a world of difference to me.


	29. The Point

The Game of Life

By: Rogue Fox

Part Twenty-Nine……… The Point

A/N:

Yuki+

I was dreaming. I had to be. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't be watching myself look back, with a soft, knowing smile and whispering soundlessly, "Forgive me." A hand, almost as though my own because it moved in tune with the body I was looking through, reached out at though to grab the me I was watching. But the me that I was watching crumbled to sand just as the hands grasped her and the sand blew away on the wind. A hollow, throbbing, empty pain shot through me, growing more and more intense. The world grew dark.

" A half without its other is a dying piece of something else." Someone whispered.

" Don't go!" someone screamed, and I was jarred awake.

Downstairs, Himeko cried out, her voice fleeing her throat in a strangled noise somewhere between a shriek and a sob. I ran down the stairs, suddenly longing her nearness, her strength, her assuredness, her confidence. Himeko met me at the bottom of the stairs and we embraced. She held tightly, possessively, breathing a deep, shaky breath. Behind her, Bakura stumbled into view.

" Are you two okay?" he whispered. I nodded.

" I dreamed-" Himeko began.

" I know." I interrupted.

" I'm scared-" she started again.

" I know." I whispered, biting back bitter tears.

" Are you?" Himeko asked. My heart heaved, and I looked up at the ceiling. I'd never noticed the architecture of the mansion before. It was truly beautiful. It reminded me of the big, Southern plantation homes, like the one my mother's mother, my Gran, used to live in. I looked back down and met Himeko's fearful eyes. I couldn't answer her. I couldn't justify her fears. But my silence was justification enough. Her heart seemed to collapse in on itself. I felt Bakura hold back a sob. He knew. She knew. But I couldn't give the words reality.

In the end, even the Mistress of the Key of Ma'at is only mortal. And all return to the dust from which they came. My eyes slowly shut, and pain shot through my body.

Seto………

Malik+

I had had a very, very good week. The kind of week that makes you want to whistle on the bus and skip down the street. And that's what I was doing. Skipping, I mean. I skipped up to Ryou's house, where I all but lived. I bounced in the door. Kicked off my shoes. Ran up the stairs. Collided headfirst with Bakura, who called me a few colorful names in Egyptian.

" Go home." He told me gruffly. I cocked an eyebrow. Bakura had reacted openly when Ryou and I presented him with our newfound relationship. As a matter of fact, he'd been pretty damned pleased. I could not fathom why I should not see, hug, cuddle, kiss and otherwise make a fuss over the object of my affection.

" Why?" I asked stupidly.

" Cause your yami and sister will need to talk to you, now get." He said. I opened my mouth to protest, but just then, Ryou appeared in the doorway to his room, lugging a suitcase.

" Yami, I'm done, you should – Malik!" he cried, dropping his suitcase and running over and helping me up. He had such nice hands………

" Going somewhere?" I asked. Ryou frowned.

" You haven't heard?" he asked, twining a lock of hair on his finger nervously.

" He was just going to. From his yami and his sister." Bakura growled, shoving past us. " There's no time to be sentimental! Get!" he snapped over his shoulder.

" What's going on?" I demanded of Ryou. I suddenly felt a cold chill, and a deep longing. I was scared. My yami was calling me, and he was scared. Ryou was scared, I could see it in his eyes. Bakura was scared, I could hear it in his voice. " No………" I whispered.

" It's happening." Ryou said softly. I didn't need to ask what "it" was. I knew.

" No………" I whispered again.

" Yuki……… She collapsed again. But this time, she didn't get up." Ryou said, biting his lip. " Malik, I don't think you should hear this from me."

" I don't want to hear it from anyone else." I said, stubborn.

" She's……… weak. Himeko's hysterical, no one can get a clear word out of her. Yuki……… she can only speak a little, before she passes out again. She says it's time. She says we have to be in Egypt." Ryou told me. My chest tightened.

" Time." I repeated. " Egypt."

" Everyone's just trying to pack what they need………" Ryou said, fumbling nervously with his suitcase. Suddenly, the cell phone Isis made me carry around rang, and I jumped.

" Hello?" I asked into the contraption, not trusting it. I never did like phones.

" Malik, where are you?" Isis asked without greeting.

" Ryou's." I answered shortly.

" Well, get home, I need to talk-"

" I know." I said. " I know." I repeated. I heard Isis take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

" I packed your clothes. The Pharaoh – Yami – is giving your yami and I a ride to the mansion. Is there anything you want me to bring you?" she asked, and I heard the sisterly warmth in her voice. I suddenly wished I were just a little kid again, so she could take me into her lap and let me hide my face against her strong shoulder and whisper in my ear that it would be okay.

" I………" I wanted to say that I was scared, and I was, but the words wouldn't come. " Just you and my yami. I just want you two." I said.

" This is no big deal, Malik." Isis promised. The tiny tremor in her voice belied her words.

" Yeah. No big deal." I agreed with no conviction.

" See you at the mansion." She said, her voice still shaking, and hung up without waiting for me to say goodbye. I hung up slowly and looked up. Bakura had disappeared, and Ryou stood in front of me, his brown eyes shining wetly with fear and his face lined with worry, holding his bag in front of him. And just as I felt like I wanted to curl up in Isis's lap and let her take care of me again, I knew I couldn't. I didn't have just me to look out for anymore. I wasn't a little kid. I looked at Ryou, whose dark brown, sad eyes blinked up at me, waiting for me to make the decision, and I knew what I had to do. Whatever I decided, Ryou would follow. I had no doubt in that. The doubt was in myself.

" Are you all packed?" I asked finally. Ryou nodded. " Go ahead and take your stuff to the front door. We'll take the bus." I said, ducking around what I had to inevitably say to him. Ryou nodded again and hefted his bag, starting towards the stairs. I grabbed his wrist impulsively as he passed. " I'll watch out for you." I promised. Ryou smiled softly, and I watched his profile out of my peripheral vision.

" I know you will. You always do." He said. " It's you I'm worried about."

" I'll watch out for us." I corrected myself. Ryou smiled and leaned against me, resting his head on my shoulder. I stood as strongly as I could, supporting his weight and mine, supporting his fear and mine, supporting us both and letting him just rest.

" Us. I like that. Us." He said. Us. It is us now, isn't it, I wondered. Us. Suddenly, the depth of everything opened up to me. Even with a yami, in the end, I'd always looked out for myself. Now, there wasn't just me. There was Ryou too. And as surely as I'd given myself to him, he'd given himself to me too. It was us, now. And I had to protect us. Even in the face of the end of the world, I had to protect us.

I'd never imagined myself loving someone so much, I would stop destiny for him.

The Kaiba mansion was quiet. Too quiet. Ryuuji greeted us at the door, without a word, and led us into the main living room. Suitcases, bags, backpacks, clothes, cards, toothbrushes, and all other sorts of imaginable and otherwise items were strewn all over, in a rushed clutter. My eyes were drawn to Himeko, who crouched on her calves by the couch. She turned to look at me, and for the first time I saw fear on her face. True terror. There were tears from it on her cheeks. Behind her, pale as death and still as the grave, Yuki lay. The only clue that life still flickered forlornly within her was the slight rising and falling of her chest. Himeko's healthy body moved easily, and I wondered at the difference between the two. Her tanned and toned skin stood out badly against Yuki's pallor as Himeko gripped Yuki's hand, almost fearfully. Himeko's breath popped in and out of her, I noticed, almost as though her fear and concentration on keeping Yuki alive made her forget to breathe. I looked at Ryou and at my yami, watching the fear-stricken princess with sad eyes, and wondered if I loved them enough to try so hard to keep them alive that I would forget to breathe.

Then Yuki's eyes fluttered open, those beautiful red-violet orbs rolling in her skull, focusing and unfocusing. She smiled up at me, almost lazily. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. I sank to my knees next to Himeko, despair suddenly welling within me. I looked into her eyes and felt her with my soul, with my fingers, willing both to give her all the warmth, all the blazing warm light I had to give. Her cheeks flushed with my warmth, but my light would not save her. I knew then, as those eyes I knew I adored looked up at me sadly, nothing would save her.

And Himeko, who had given everything to the darkness, would lose her last claim to the light. I looked at her as she stood and went to the other yamis, who welcomed her with sympathetic and sad eyes. She stood in their middle, and the four of them conversed rapidly while we three healthy hikaris gathered around our fallen comrade.

I have no explanation for why, or how, we did what we did. We were guided by a force we neither knew, nor understood. I grasped Yuki's hand, and Yugi grasped the other. Ryou grasped our other hands, and we formed a ring. Then, we shared. Sharing is what we call it when the physical boundaries of having a body are overrode, and we all become one huge entity, one mesh of souls, one huge burning light. It was a desperate attempt to hold Yuki to life, and we knew it was desperate. But it didn't matter. We were separate souls, we understood that. But in sharing, we were all Malik, all Ryou, all Yugi……… and all Yuki. Sharing hurts. Because you suddenly know, more intimately than you ever wanted to, all the pain the others have. They all knew my indecisiveness, my fears. I knew Ryou's fear too, of losing me, of being lonely, and my soul wept for it. I knew Yugi's fear, a very generalized one, and I knew his worry and his despair was mine. And Yuki. We knew her then, more closely than ever before. I knew her exhaustion. Her fear. Her worry. I knew her regret for leaving us all behind. But most terrible of all, I knew her willingness. This life had never been good to her, I knew with a shattering flash of images, her memories. Her father's death, her mother's death, so much death all around her. Her, who was the very embodiment of life in all its glory. She would not die uneasy. Yuki Motou would go to her death willingly. But she answered a call older than time and deeper than the magic that bound us all. And before death could take her, she must answer that call and make her own call. Yuki's call would be a sad one, I knew, and I wept for it. But death, I knew in Yuki's sagely way, was a mandatory part of life.

I came out of the sharing, and looked back to the yamis. They looked at us with a mixture of fear, pride, and sadness in their features. The male yamis stood around their sister, their princess, protectively. I knew as I had known Yuki's acceptance of death. They would not let their dark sister be lost once more to the maddening darkness, as surely as we would not let her lighter part be dragged to the afterlife. We would, all of us, fight for the very definition of all we were and all we would ever be. In Egypt, we would fight for this. In Egypt, where it all began and would all end.

I looked up, casting my gaze skyward, half way between cursing the universe and weeping. Yuki's hand was cold and small in mine, and Ryou's was warm and pulsating, but it shook. Yuki's, even at death's door, was steady and strong. Her soul brushed mine. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing she was, in the only way she had left to her in her weakness, trying to comfort me.

" We love you, Yuki." Yugi whispered. He spoke for us all. I admired his ability to speak right then. I didn't think my voice would have made the words, even if I had known what to say. Yuki nodded, her eyes flickering sadly at us. She mouthed the words, but it was her soul that told us, nearly bursting with love, adoration, and joy. I felt suddenly full to the point of bursting. I felt her love, and I clung to it. I would carry this in me, this small bit of Yuki. Her love. Yuki's love. I would love every living thing with her caring, her understanding. I would learn to forgive the worst crimes, and love the most hideous sinners. I would love life itself, and I would rejoice in the art of living. I would love saint to demon, king to beggar, stately lady to homely housewife. And even as I undertook it, I knew I would never be able to truly love everyone, everything. Could I ever forgive my father, for all his crimes? I didn't think so.

/ But I can./ Yugi whispered in my mind. We would love everything. I would forgive what Yugi and Ryou could not, Yugi would forgive what Ryou and I could not, and Ryou would forgive what Yugi and I could not. It was a poor excuse for Yuki's singular, pure, and untaintable love. But it was the best we can offer.

" Kaiba." I murmured suddenly. " Has anyone called Kaiba?" I called, rising to my feet. Nearly a dozen heads shook slowly. I was still connected to Yuki, and something quite near to desperation shot over her.

" Seto………" she found strength in her wasted frame for that. For his name. I looked down at her, clinging to my hand desperately.

/ So this is who you've chosen for yourself/ I asked. Yuki nodded, and I could see tears forming in her eyes. / You helped me realize my own love./ I whispered. She nodded, faintly. I could feel her tiring. / And I can't tell you how grateful I am. I'll do anything you ask./

/ Make him come./ she whispered back, her eye lids drooping. Before I could answer, Yuki slept again. I pushed back her hair and walked over to the phone. As I picked up the receiver, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned to see what, and saw all four yamis tromping confidently out of the door.

" And where do you think you're going?" I asked. They froze and looked back at me.

" We're going to be leaving soon." Yugi scolded, struggling to latch an over packed suitcase while Ryou sat on it. " Malik, we need your help." He added. I smiled, despite the situation.

" We have to go get something." Yami said.

" Be back later." Bakura said, flipping his wrist in farewell, and all four turned resolutely and left. I shrugged, and dialed the number on a pad of paper that had Kaiba's neat handwriting on it, spelling out "Emergency Cell Number." The phone began to ring, and I looked back at Yuki, waiting patiently for Kaiba to pick up the phone.

Yami+

I could not have imagined a worse fate for my sister. And yet, with every passing moment, Yuki's acceptance seemed to fill her with dignity and resolve. She wouldn't go back kicking and screaming.

Outside, the air was thick and stale, and the sky was covered with dark, heavy clouds that were pregnant with rain.

" A fitting day for the end of the world." Bakura said sardonically.

" Not today. Soon." I said.

" What does it matter? Soon it will all be over." Himeko mumbled. Ishtar shook her shoulder and mine.

" At least………" he started, fumbling over the words. He frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration. " No more us. No more of……… this life. We sleep." He said. I smiled sadly.

" Yeah. No more us. No more curse, no more reincarnation. We get to go home." I said. " That's some consolation." Ishtar nodded.

" Or we get damned to Ammit's jaws." Bakura said darkly.

" After all we've done? They wouldn't." I said in disbelief.

" After all we've done?" Himeko repeated doubtfully. " They should. How many thousands have we killed? Combined? Each?" she asked. No one answered her. There was no need. " We deserve Ammit's jaws." I opened the door to the driver's side and started my car while everyone else climbed in.

" There were……… Good things." Ishtar mumbled.

" Enough to redeem us?" I wondered. No one said anything. What point was there? I didn't need to tell them how scared I was, because they knew. Or how doubtful, or how sad. And I suddenly felt a sense of comradeship.

" We've been through a lot together, haven't we?" I asked. " Together, we've done a lot."

" Separate but together." Bakura mused.

" I feel like……… All our suffering, everything we went through, was just, you know, totally useless. In vain. Now that its all going to end……… What was the point?" Himeko asked.

" There was a point." I said, a little forcefully. " It may seem insignificant right now, but there was a point, and it mattered. It still does."

" What was that point?" Bakura asked. There was no sadism or sarcasm in his voice. " What was it? I think I forgot." I thought long and hard about that, pulling out into the road and accelerating. Suddenly, I pictured Yugi's face, and there was a point again.

" Look at Ryou again, and you'll remember." I advised. There was silence. " When I look at Yugi," I continued finally. " I remember that I did everything I did for a reason. There was a reason for all the fighting, all the darkness." I paused and gulped. " For Mariah's death." We all tensed at my own personal torture. " Sometimes its hard to remember that, when the death toll soars and the end really is nigh. And sometimes it feels like nothing I did made any difference, like none of my suffering meant anything at all, like……… like Mariah died in vain. Like the fact that I loved her at all was in vain. I think about that more and more lately." I sighed, changing lanes. " But then I look at Yugi and I remember why I did what I did. Because, no matter what I do or how horrible it is or how much I just want to die to end it all, I am human. No matter how far I fall or how deep in the dark I am, I am human. I'm still a man. I'm not a pharaoh anymore, and I wonder if I ever really was. I'm still a man. If I wasn't, I couldn't love Yugi. If I wasn't……… If I wasn't, I wouldn't have killed Mariah, out of mercy and love. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be healing." I pulled into the parking lot of a gray, dreary looking building. We all sat in silence for a long moment.

" I think……… you are right." Ishtar said softly. I smiled at him through the rear view mirror.

" I wish we had a chance to heal." Himeko said sadly.

" What would you do with it?" Bakura asked.

" Sing." Himeko replied instantly, then smiled shyly. " Marry."

" I think I would want to make music on my keyboard." I admitted.

" I want to act." Bakura said suddenly. We all looked at Ishtar, who smiled broadly.

" I would tell……… our story." He said. We all kind of smiled at each other. We used to be enemies. We used to hate one another. But that hate was just a reflection of our own self hate. We hated one another because we saw ourselves in each other. How could we cling to that? I didn't hate them. I wondered if I ever did. How could I hate them, my brethren, my kin, my family? The people who understood me and what I did and why I did it and everything I'd been through the best? Weren't we all the children of the night? And didn't that make us brothers and sister?

" Well," Bakura said, sliding out of the car and looking up at the building. " Let's do this thing."

" Yeah, if we're going out, then we're going out in style." Himeko agreed, following him.

" I wonder……… How angry Malik would be if I……… spilled a little blood?" Ishtar asked haltingly.

" Does it matter anymore?" I asked in answer, slamming the door of my car. " This might be the last chance we get to be true to our nature. So let's do what we do best." I advised. There was no sympathy, no remorse in my voice. Another man might have felt bad about what I was about to do. Not me. Besides, they brought our wrath upon themselves.

We strode confidently up to the doors, all of us striving to act like we belonged there and Bakura the only one succeeding.

" So……… How do we get in?" I asked.

" I will……… take care of it." Ishtar assured me, pushing to the front of the group. I recognized the hazy look in his eyes as he invaded and took over some poor front desk girl's mind. When we got into the front lobby, Himeko having to lead Ishtar who was too busy mind-controlling to notice we were supposed to be walking, said girl had our visitation badges waiting. We all pinned them to our chests, with the exception of Himeko, who pinned hers to the hem of her black skirt. Next Bakura wiped the girl's memory of the last five minutes clear of any trace of us, and Himeko took out the security cameras with a few well-aimed energy balls. We wanted no trace left of the crime we were about to commit. We bustled down the hallways, until we found the room we wanted. I tried the door, but it was locked.

" Back up." I advised, stepping back. I'm not as big as Bakura or Ishtar, but no mortal lock was going to stop me. I kicked the door open and rendered the woman inside unconscious. A small chorus of young voices sang out our names, and Mokuba, Yoshi, and Yukio latched themselves onto my waist.

" Come on." I said roughly while Ishtar used his Rod to bash out the window. The alarms began to shrill. Bakura and Ishtar lifted all our little prizes out the window and Himeko, cradling a wailing Charity, and I scrambled out after. I was last. I was the lucky one who had a guard latch onto his foot. I turned around, my palm stretched out, ready to kill him. It was Yukio's small, frightened voice that stopped me.

" What's going on?" the six-year-old asked. The guard looked at me with such fear, any bystander would've thought I was holding a gun to his eyes. He stumbled back from me, and I finished climbing out the window. We hightailed it to the car and peeled out, people screaming at the tailgate.

" Why didn't you kill him?" Bakura asked. I set my jaw, staring out at the road.

" He's going to die soon anyway." I said.

" What's going on?" Yoshi repeated his little brother's question, a little more angrily.

" It's………" Ishtar began, gently rocking Charity, " Yuki."


	30. In The End

The Game of Life

By: Rogue Fox

Part Thirty……… In The End

Seto+

I was trying to concentrate. I really was. People kept bustling in and out of this office that wasn't mine, and none of them were the one person that simply would not get off my mind. They all had questions about graphs and figures and miniscule decisions that could make or break the company, and I knew it. But I wanted to see "her" come into the office, asking what I would like for dinner, telling me about the grade Mokuba made on his spelling test, how Yoshi was going to try out for the debate team in the Junior High and how surely Charity would be taking her first steps soon. I wanted that. I wanted to be back there. I wanted to feel her lips on mine again, so warm and full of life. I wanted to look into her eyes and feel her arms around me and let her simple existence assure me that somewhere, I was wanted and loved. I wanted to come home to her waiting at the door, smiling happily and leaping into my arms, yelling my name like an overjoyed kid. I wanted to go to sleep to her heartbeat and wake up to her laughter. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small, white velvet box that I'd been carrying around. I flipped the lid open and looked at it. It was simple. I had wanted to buy one that was simply lavished in the most expensive gems. But that wasn't her, and this one was. It was just a simple gold band with a simple diamond. I could picture it on her delicate hand, gleaming in the sunlight for the rest of our life together. I smiled at the gem that seemed to glow from within, just like the girl I was going to give it to on bended knee. The plain and simple symbol of forever, forever with her. I looked up at the ceiling. Forever with Yuki. It had such a wonderful sound to it.

Suddenly, my personal cell phone rang, startling me out of my reverie. I thought that it must be Yuki, calling for some silly reason. She hadn't called me yet. I had kind of sprung that on her at the airport. I imagined that she was trying to sort everything out. I wanted to hear her voice. I wanted it to be her. I hit the button and put the phone to my ear.

" Hello?" I asked hopefully.

" Kaiba." An uncertain voice responded. Malik. I could help but feel a little disappointed.

" What's up?" I asked nonchalantly, returning to the paperwork in front of me. There was a long moment of silence, but I wasn't bothered by it. Malik had a habit of sitting in silence and thinking about his next sentence for a long moment like that. Came from being unpracticed in Japanese.

" Kaiba………" he began, and I suddenly heard it. The tone in his voice……… It gave him away. My heart turned to ice.

" What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly terrified.

" I'm so sorry." He suddenly gushed. Malik often came out in torrents like this. " So sorry, so sorry."

" What the hell?" I asked, angry and afraid all at once, rising to my feet.

" It's Yuki." Malik's voice suddenly blurted out. My whole world stopped. " She collapsed, but she's not getting up. I……… We……… She's dying, Kaiba. I'm sorry, I am so sorry. I don't know what to tell you. She wants you now, she needs you. She says we have to go to Egypt. It's time, Kaiba, you know what I mean?" Malik spurted in a burst of unsequenced thoughts. I looked at the ring in my hands and watched all of my dreams of forever shatter like fragile crystal.

" Yeah, I know what you mean." I said. My voice sounded hollow and empty and lifeless. I didn't think it would carry. I didn't want to cry with Malik listening.

" She said your name. That's all I heard her actually say. That's all she could make herself say." Malik told me. I wanted to scream. " Tell me what to do, Kaiba. Gods, I'm so scared." Malik suddenly whispered urgently. " Yugi, it's like he's shell shocked, and Ryou just kind of cries, and the yamis ran off, and I'm scared. I know they're counting on me, but I don't know what to do. You've gotta help me."

" Go to Egypt." I moaned. " I'll arrange for a private jet. Oh my God. You've gotta……… Just, please, don't let her go yet. God." I suddenly felt so helpless. " Oh, God."

" I hope he's listening." Malik said, in reference to God.

" I think he's abandoned us." I whispered.

" It's Armageddon. Where is God in Armageddon in all the stories?" Malik asked. " I never heard where the Egyptian gods were. I think someone told me that they leave the earth." He was blabbering. " Oh my God, I can't- I don't- How am I supposed to protect Ryou!" he asked, his whispered voice shrilling in panic and despair.

" Malik, okay, just listen." I demanded, forcing all my emotions aside and making myself be the stoic businessman I'd been trained to be. " Tell Yami he's in charge of the money. There's a credit card in my office with the pin number written on a paper with it. He knows where it is. I want Bakura and Ishtar to make sure everyone has everything they need and organize transportation. I want Ryou to call the department and tell the boys and Charity……… Tell Ryou I said I'm sorry, but tell them everything. I want Mai and Anzu to make sure that Yuki and Himeko's things get packed." I said.

" What about me?" Malik asked.

" I want you to keep Yuki here. Please. Keep her alive." I whispered.

" Why me?" Malik asked, his voice despondent and almost sad. " I thought you hated me."

" Why?" I asked in response. " Keep her alive." I repeated.

We hung up shortly after that. I sat at my desk, head in my hands. The world was ending, but I felt like mine was dying with Yuki.

Isis+

I never liked planes. I don't like the constant roar of the engines, the gentle sway as the machine tilted. I like boats fine. I just don't like planes. And I'm not afraid of heights, either. Planes just bother me for some reason.

I tried to force the fact that I don't like planes out of my mind and walk steadily down the hallway. Anzu brushed past me, stopping to give me a sympathetic look while we both kind of stood shoulder to shoulder. She was on her way to be with Yugi. With this kind of tragedy at hand, we all needed to be with someone. I was on my way to be with someone. Malik was with Ryou, both clinging to the other for some kind of confirmation. Ishtar hovered with Bakura protectively over Himeko while the latter knelt with Yuki, trying to protect her from the inevitable heartbreak when Yuki finally succumbed to death. Malik and Ishtar both had someone to be with. I was going to be with someone else.

He was in his cabin, staring out the window in stony silence. His supple body slouched on the cabin bed, head turned to look out the window, and my breath suddenly started coming in short gasps. The sound of my breathing brought his icy gaze on me. His red-violet eyes were lifeless voids.

" How long have we been flying?" he asked.

" A few hours, I guess." I whispered. " I lost track." I'd lost track of everything. I was lost, in his eyes.

" I'm going to lose her again." He said softly. " I can't stop it." I opened my mouth and closed it again. What could I say? What would I do, if I was losing Malik, and Ishtar too because of it, and I couldn't do anything about it? " I'm losing them both." He said, hanging his head. " Gods, I feel so helpless." He lurched suddenly to his feet and stumbled. I caught him. We both sank down, caught in each other's embrace. I breathed in his scent, spicy and exotic and so comforting, and we both silently cried into each other's shoulders. " I'm losing everything. Again." He whispered, his grip on my waist tightening. I ran my fingers through his hair, so soft and silky. He looked up into my eyes. " And just when I finally found it."

" The joke ends tomorrow." I whispered.

" Joke? Yeah, the joke. The mistake." He agreed. Then he looked at me again, really looked at me. I felt……… beautiful under his gaze. " The last woman I loved died." He whispered to me. " I don't want to hurt you."

" I'm dying anyway. Aren't we all?" I asked. He shook his head sadly.

" I'm already dead." He said.

" You're too alive to be dead." I whispered back, breathless as he pressed me close. " I'm not Mariah."

" I know." He replied. " I know. And I'm not the man you saw in your visions. That Pharaoh died five thousand years ago. I think you'd rather him than me." he told me, searching my eyes. I shook my head.

" He died so you and Yugi could rise in his place. And I want you. Not any Pharaoh from five thousand years ago. Just you." I whispered, pressing my forehead to his. He suddenly pulled me closer than before, pressing me down against the cabin bed. He needed it. I needed it. We needed each other. His strength was overwhelming. His eyes burned and I rejoiced in it. His body was warm and strong, and best of all, he absolutely bursting with life. Life, in all its glory. Life, in the face of death. We were still alive, I knew that as his lips found mine and his taste flooded my mouth. We were still alive.

Yami+

Isis, Isis Ishtar, slept quietly against me, her head on my bare chest, her uncovered shoulders gleaming in the light of my cabin room. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically. She had said I was alive. She had chosen me. Knowing what I'd done and who I was and everything I could be, she chose me. I kissed her forehead. If forever wasn't going to end sometime next week, I'd want to be with her forever. But……… Apocalypse complicates things.

Bakura+

I hated watching her hurt again. I hated even more knowing that there was nothing I could do to ease the pain. Ishtar had stalked off, muttering something about checking on Malik. My precious Princess sat on the floor next to her dying hikari, leaning against my knees.

" Tepe?" she asked. I made a noise of acknowledgement. " I love you." She whispered. My heart swelled to the point of bursting, and my stomach fell through my shoes all at once. " I never stopped," she continued. " I'm sorry for what I put you through."

" It wasn't your fault. We were both mislead." I muttered.

" I love you." She repeated. I kissed the top of her head, feeling tears welling in my eyes.

" Gods, I love you too." I whispered back.

" I wish……… I wish we had more time." She said.

" I do too." I agreed, both of us watching Yuki's frail form.

" I didn't want to leave without telling you that." She told me.

" I knew." I responded, smiling sadly. " I always knew." She looked up at me.

" We could have been happy together, me and you, couldn't we?" she asked. I nodded.

" I would have been and actor and you'd have been a singer." I said.

" The wedding would have been magnificent." She whispered dreamily.

" You would have looked stunning in white." I said.

" White? I wore black." She argued. I smiled.

" Of course. You wore black. How could I forget?" I wondered.

" The priest didn't understand a word of our vows." Himeko noted.

" They were in Egyptian." I added. We both giggled a little.

" Did we have two kids, or three?" she asked me.

" Oi, it all blends together. I think we had three." I said, putting a hand to my head.

" They were beautiful." She whispered, tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. I wiped them away and kissed her eyes.

" Yeah, they were. They took after their mother. And they had a great mother." I whispered back, before kissing her on the lips, her mouth giving way to my tongue effortlessly. We pulled apart again.

" We had a great life together, didn't we?" she asked.

" Yeah, we grew old together. We were really happy." I agreed.

" I wish we really could have all that." She sobbed. " I wish I could share that with you and Yuki."

" Some things……… just aren't meant to be." I said, holding her close and letting her cry. As much as I wanted it, there wouldn't be a life for us. There would never be a Mr. and Mrs. Tepe Bakura. There would never be three kids that looked like their mother. I wanted that, more than anything else. But I was happy I had my Princess in the end. My precious Himeko and her love.

Jou+

There was something dead in the air as we kind of slumped into the hotel rooms I'd helped Yami reserve. Something lifeless. I felt like the earth beneath me had already died, and now its soul clung desperately to the still body like Himeko clung to Yuki. I didn't want Shizuka to see Yuki like that. I wanted her to see Yuki the way I'd met her, full of smiles and laughter and energetic, running around the mansion with baskets of laundry and chasing down three kids who didn't want their baths. I wanted Shizuka to know the Yuki who mended cuts, wiped away tears, who made hot chocolate for me when I came out of the cold and let me lick the bowl when she made cake. I even wanted Malik and Ishtar and Isis to know the Yuki who made an obnoxiously big deal out of birthdays and managed to look adorable while she was at it, the Yuki who picked flowers and took in stray kittens. The Yuki who made my friend Kaiba smile the way Mai made me smile. I had all these memories of her, staggering under the weight of Kaiba's bowling ball, throwing random objects at Ryuuji, dressed up for a ball with Mai and Anzu and Himeko, sitting on the hood of Yami's car, running in circles in an Egyptian bazaar with Kaiba chasing her. I had all these visions of the future with her in them, dressed up for graduation, on her wedding day, chasing down her own kids. Everything felt so empty and worthless. Not only would Yuki never have that, but I wouldn't either. Neither would Mai or Shizuka or Kaiba or Honda or any of the people I cared about. It was Dooms Day.

I wished fervently to go back to that life, back to when it was just us being young and having all sorts of awesome adventures. Back to when we were a team, and nothing could take us apart. Back to when Yugi was loyal, Yami was brave, Bakura was sarcastic, Ryou was kind, Mai was cutely arrogant, Honda was a swooning romantic, Anzu was supportive, Ryuuji was fun, Kaiba was a jerk (albeit the best jerk I knew), Malik was a bouncy ball of joy, Ishtar was cunning, Isis was wise, Himeko was the queen of the night and Yuki was the daughter of the light. I wanted that life again. I wanted that chance to be happy. I wanted the spontaneity, the fearlessness, the fun, the glorious sense of not knowing what tomorrow will bring but being ready for it nevertheless. I wanted my life back. But I couldn't have it. The world was dying, and with it, everything and everyone I loved.

Ishtar carefully set Yuki down on the bed, trailing his hand over her arm as she breathed as deeply as she could. It looked like a struggle for her. Her eyes opened and her head rolled around, looking at us and attempting to smile. I knew she was trying to comfort me. I could feel her soul embracing me, willing me strength. I blinked, surprised by the tears on my cheeks. My mouth opened and closed repeatedly, looking for something to say. I surprised myself again with the thought that this is what Ishtar must feel like. I suddenly felt very old.

" So this is it. This is the end to all our great adventures. We spend our lives chasing down destiny, and now that we've finally caught it, we can't do a damn thing about it." I muttered. Next to me, Honda shrugged.

" Fate's a fickle thing." Ryuuji said, rolling his die. It landed on one. He picked it up and rolled again. Six. " She changes her mind with every roll of the die." Again, he rolled the die. Six. " We were fate's favorite children, we got all the breaks." Again, the die clattered on the floor. Six. I breathed deeply. Six-six-six. Ryuuji looked up at me from the die, not bothering to pick it up. " But in the end, our demise is worse than everyone else's. Because, we know it's coming." Himeko picked up the die and rolled it again. One.

" Damn fate. Damn everything." She muttered, tossing Ryuuji his die and stalking off.

" It already is." Honda told her back. She stopped, then turned to look at us. I was shocked by the tears in her eyes.

" Not Yuki. Yuki is not damned." She said. " I bear the damnation for her."

Honda, Bakura, and I volunteered to meet Kaiba at the airport. Yuki grasped our hands as we left, her eyes pleading with us.

" We'll bring him back for you." I promised.

" Hurry." She replied in a hoarse, almost inaudible whisper.

We walked to the airport, Bakura turning off into odd alleys he seemed to remember vaguely, and all of us just watching the unsuspecting masses teeming so full of life, remarking to each other about the odd weather. For Egypt, it was odd. The sky was a dark, threatening grey and there was rumbling in the distant that I couldn't remember thunder sounding like.

" I heard a noise like that once." Bakura remarked almost absently as another rumble died away. " When I was about twelve years old, and I was traveling around alone. I heard that noise, and it was like the whole earth jumped beneath me. There was this horrible roar, and I thought I was going to die. But I lived. I guess it was an earthquake." He said, shrugging. " Funny, I could have died in something natural like an earthquake. Or I could have stayed in Egypt five thousand years ago and risked the Pharaoh's executioners. Or I could have frozen to death in what you now call the Alps. Even old age fails to kill me. Famine has no hold over me, disease is no threat. I stand unchangeable in an ever-changing world. But in the end, I'm just as vulnerable as anyone else."

" Why?" Honda wondered absently.

" Someone's sick idea of a joke." I grumbled. Bakura shook his head with a sad smile.

" Yeah, I used to think that too. I used to laugh and cuss the gods out, Lug and Zeus and Jupiter and Osiris and Amaterasu and Thor and all the good ones I'd ever heard of in my travels and tell them they sure came up with a good joke. Tell them I hoped they were laughing it up. Tell them to go to hell, because I didn't need them or anything they could give. Even then, this fate was decided. We never had a choice. Any of us. Question is, would you do it differently if you had a choice? Remember the first time I tried to send Yami to the Shadow Realm? Would you still have stood by him then, knowing what was in store if you chose that path?"

" Yes." Honda and I both answered in unison.

" The gods only gave us the option to take this path. They made sure we would choose what they wanted, made it look nice and neat and play to our free will. But it's one of those choices where no matter what the consequences, you always make the same decision, because that's who you are. You would always choose to be Yugi's friends, because that's who you are. I would always choose to love Isis, because that's who I am. Yami would always choose to take Mariah's life, because that's who he is. Malik would always choose to repent for his sins, because that's who he is. Kaiba would always choose Yuki, because that's who he is. And Yuki……… Yuki would always choose this life. That's who she is." Bakura laughed sadly. " We chose our own fates." I looked up at the airport and tried to imagine what Kaiba must be thinking. I didn't want to.

" At least, in the end, we still have each other." I said. " I hated you once. I would have killed you, if I could do it without hurting Ryou." I told Bakura. Honda nodded. Bakura laughed again, still sadly.

" If there had been a way to do it without hurting Ryou, or even a way to do it at all, I would have let you." He said. " I don't blame you for hating me. I hated myself."

" And now?" Honda asked.

" I'm trying to come to terms with who I am. What I am. You should to. After over five thousand years, our souls will lay to rest. The drama. Heh-heh……… My patron god, Anubis, the guardian of the underworld, once told me I would play one of the leads in the world's greatest drama. The drama he was talking about……… It's coming to the curtains. Finally, there will be peace." He looked so serene, eyes closed thinking about it. " I'll see my mother again. I do wish, though, I had a chance to atone for my sins. It's Ammit's jaws for me. The deepest ring of Hell." I opened my mouth to protest. Hadn't he atoned? Hadn't he saved Yuki's life? I remembered his smile as Ryou yelled at him to do his laundry, his laughter as he told stories, and I couldn't imagine anyone damning him to Hell. How could they? " Don't. Darkness has no place where you and Ryou and the other are going. Ishtar, Yami, me, and even Himeko, especially Himeko, we are resigned. Don't." he told me.

" But……… Why?" Honda asked, breathlessly. Bakura shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

" You picked a bad crowd to run with." He told us. " I can't tell you how many people I've killed. Yami's murdered entire villages, not to mention how he mercy-killed Mariah. Himeko……… She never told any of you. Not many people know. She killed her own mother. Before Ishtar was locked away in the darkness that drove him mad, he went on a rampage and killed over two hundred people, not even considering what he did when he was awakened. Hands as bloody as ours deserve nothing better than Hell. I've been waiting for it."

" I don't care about that!" I burst out suddenly. " God, if I'm going to die, then I want my friends, all of us, to go together! I don't want some of us to go to Heaven or whatever and some of us to go to Hell! It's not fair! You're a good person, all the yami's are! Sure, you made some mistakes-" Bakura stopped me with a look.

" Mistakes?" He asked. " Murder is intentional. Murder is not a mistake."

" You couldn't help it! I'm not condoning it, murder is wrong, but……… Yamis kill, right? That's what they do! The gods or God or whoever is running this circus can't condemn you for being what they made you to be!"

" Gods live by rules. They can't break those rules. The sinful are damned to Hell, and the righteous are raised to the good place. That's the rule." Bakura said simply, shrugging again. " Come on. We're late to get Kaiba."

If ever I thought of the picture of despair after that day in Egypt, I pictured Kaiba as he came off the plane. Haggard, messy, hair uncombed, with dark circles under his eyes, and with this expression of unspeakable despair written all over his face. He looked at me as though pleading with me to make it go away. All I could do was look back helplessly.

" She didn't……… She's still………" he tried to ask, and I felt old again.

" She's waiting for you." Bakura said softly. No one said anything for a long time, and we all just kind of picked up Kaiba's sole bag and walked back into the street. The air felt lifeless, the world felt dead. I wondered about what Bakura had said before. If I had known where I would end up, would I have taken the same path? If I had known that I would end up staring at Apocalypse as it prepared to swallow all life, would I have still chosen this life? Would I still choose Yugi and Ryou and Malik and Yuki, even knowing what they represented? Or would I have chosen the ignorance, the blissful ignorance, and been no better than the crowded masses of the world, completely unaware that within the week they'd all be dead? I looked up at the dark sky and at the faces of some of my closest friends, two of which I could remember hating enough to kill them, and I knew I would always have chosen this life. No matter where this path led, it was mine, and that would never change. I had no regrets………

Well, maybe one.

Bakura+

A part of me wanted to angrily apologize to Jou and Honda for being so mushy and sentimental. But another part of me didn't care. Gods, the world was ending, I was entitled to a little bit of sentimentality. I wanted to curl up with my Isis and muse about my existence until the end came. I was resigned to my fate. I had known it was coming, hadn't I? But still……… Just when I was beginning to heal, too. Just when Ryou and I were learning how to be a real yami and hikari. Just when I finally had my Isis back. Just when I was able to watch the Ishtars dive head first into an almost normal life. Just when I was beginning to think I could get over my past and finally live, this had to happen. Should've guessed. That's karma for you.

I felt an odd tingling at the back of my neck. I recognized it. I thought at first it was Ryou, calling for me to come. But no, it wasn't the same. The urgency I felt now ran just as deep, but not as profound as my need to protect Ryou. Or maybe it was more profound. There's no good way to describe it. I knew I was being called. I knew I had to answer. I didn't need to know anything else. Then I remembered where and when I'd felt the tingling last.

When my patron god came to me and told me about the drama I was going to star in, I felt a tingle in the back of my neck. The same urgent calling I had to answer. I linked it to Ryou, but Ryou's patron god isn't Anubis. The Guardian of the Tomb and I have a special relationship, but I have no need to protect him. I have no duty to him other than to answer his call. Ryou is my duty, my life, my hikari. Then came the feeling of dread, the sense that I was suddenly drowning. Drowning, in the middle of a desert. Then the empty blankness.

" It's time." I repeated Yuki's words, and ran off through the streets of an ancient city I knew better than I should, three young mortal men who knew more than they should following me without questions. They knew what it was time for. Time to go willingly to our deaths, time to watch the world and everything we knew and loved be swallowed by the abyss.

I wanted to be with Ryou. I wanted to be with my Isis. I wanted to be with them all, Yuki and Yugi and Yami and Jou and Honda and Kaiba and Malik and Ishtar and Isis and Himeko and Mai and Shizuka and Anzu and Ryuuji and Yoshi and Yukio and Mokuba and Charity. I needed to be with them all. I had lived with them. I had shared my greatest triumphs with them. Now, I wanted to die with them.


	31. Belief

The Game of Life

By: Rogue Fox

Part Thirty-One……… Belief

A/N: Aha! I did it! I fixed my nasty blooper, so everyone please go re-read chap. 28 for some nice fluffiness... Anyway, thank you for your patience, and we're almost to the finish line!

Anzu+

The look in Yugi's eyes scared me.

They were so blank and lifeless. I wondered what would become of the world's light when there was no world left to give light to. I couldn't imagine Yugi dying. He seemed eternal. Malik and Ryou and Yuki were all the same to me. Eternal. Something everlasting, forever. The sun always rises, no matter how long the night. The yamis also seemed like a part of forever. There was always light, and there was always dark. Always would be. Right?

Something was wrong. I could see it in Yugi's eyes. I could see it in the way Malik launched to his feet. I could see it in the last silent tear that slipped down Ryou's cheek. I could even see it in the yamis' eyes. And I knew, as only someone who's fate was as tied up in all this as theirs could.

It was time.

How do you act when you know that world's going to end? What do you say? I just wanted to go back to the way things were. If I had known……… I still would have chosen Yugi. I still chose Yugi, even then. I followed them, as Malik and Ryou supported Yuki between them and the yamis led the way out to the desert. We all kind of cried and followed them. I hoped that Kaiba would get here soon, so he could at least say goodbye to Yuki……… Even though I knew she was already nearly gone. They, the yamis and the hikaris, seemed to know where to go.

Jou+

Bakura pounded in front of us, his experienced feet carrying him over sand dunes Kaiba, Honda and I all sank into. I lost sight of him as he plunged over another dune and I tripped trying to follow him.

And all I could think about was getting there, being with them, so at least we'd face this together.

Yuki+

I was aware that we were moving. I knew that Ryou and Malik were practically carrying me. It didn't matter. My body was irrelevant now, a mere breathing shell. It had sustained too much damage, carried too much weight. It didn't matter any more.

Spiritually, I was drifting somewhere between death and life, waiting for Seto's voice. Waiting patiently. Waiting for his release into the tempting bliss of eternity that my worry-burdened soul and body alike longed for.

The moving stopped. We were there.

Here. Where all life began, and all would end.

Just barely physically conscious, I rolled my eyes around to look. Sand. Sand, from deep within Himeko's most treasured memories. Sand, that crumbled and slipped through my fingers like my very own life. I could hear someone calling to me………

**It's time now**………

No, wait, just a little longer………

**The time has come**………

Not yet………

**He will not come**………

He will!………

**He cannot come**………

He will………

**This is yours alone to bear, alone**………

I just want to say goodbye………

**You alone can make the choice**………

Please, just a little longer………

**And so you must make it, alone**………

I need to tell him………

**The fate of the world is yours to decide**………

To tell them all………

**Your time here is done**.

That I love them.

Then the sky opened above me and I looked up into a face I both knew and had never seen before.

" **Come now, little one. It is time."**

I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came. I resisted her. I clung to my body, and to my flickering life.

" Why do you cling to your mortal shell, child, when your place is in eternity?"

I won't go with you until you do something for me!

" **How dare you try to bargain with destiny!"**

I'll die with this body if you don't!

"………What is it that you want?"

I want you to break the curse. I want you to break the curse that binds hikari to yami and yami to hikari. I want you to make it so that Himeko can live without me. I don't want any more of this madness.

" Then it is so."

I suddenly felt cast off and alone. I couldn't feel Himeko's warm darkness near me. I was utterly alone.

" Why you only deepened your eternal solitude, I do not know. But you have had your way. Now come, child. You have much to do."

And I went with Ma'at, to go to my destiny.

Himeko+

From the moment my consciousness woke in this age, there was Yuki, her warm, comforting, familiar light nestled happily against my own soul. I needed her. It was the primal knowledge I never questioned. You don't question instinct. You don't wonder why you need to breathe. You just do, and that's all you need to know. I just needed Yuki, like air. She was my air.

I remembered waking up that first time, my old, tired soul shying at first from that tiny pinprick of faint light. Hearing the sound of someone crying. Being inexplicably drawn to that light. Comforting the girl that waited in the blinding light, promising her I'd protect her. I remembered the trials, the pain, the battles, the tears, the fear, the anger. But more than that, I also remembered the laughter, the love, the joy, and that look in her eyes that she got when the people we loved were near and all was well within our own little sphere of the world, that feeling of being one and whole and full and complete.

The world was dark and cold. It wasn't the darkness of the bad place, the place that I should have been. The wind was blowing, and I had to shield my eyes. I was afraid. I felt empty, alone, cast off. I felt like, for the first time in so long, I was utterly alone. Yuki's comforting warmth was gone, and I felt cold. I wrapped my arms around myself and stumbled a few steps, looking up into the gaping darkness that threatened to swallow the world.

The faces of the dead, the gone, the lost, those that had been taken from me and those whose lives I had taken myself, my own mother's face numbering among the latter. I remembered her blood, her neck bones cracking under my hands……… Gods, I remembered.

" Go!" a woman screamed in my ear. I could barely hear her through the raging wind, and I turned to her. I was confronted with my own eyes. " Go! She needs you now!" the woman screamed at me, desperate to be heard over the chaos.

" Who are you?" I asked.

" I started this mess, and I'll not let you finish it alone!" she told me, shoving me. I stumbled backwards and looked at her. She was dressed in white, and she was exactly as I remembered her. Tan skin, long legs, white dress with a tube top that left her stomach and shoulders bare, red bangs, blonde hair, and red-violet eyes. The royal eyes. She looked at me. " Go!" she ordered me again. I obediently rose and turned away, walking towards the chaos that loomed over us all. Tepe, Ishtar, and Yami all stumbled after me. Ahead of us, three shining beacons that guided us, were Malik, Ryou, and Yugi.

" What happened?" Yami asked. " I can't feel Yugi!" he had to practically scream to be heard, and even so, we had lean toward him to hear what he was saying.

" I don't know! I can't feel Ryou either!" Tepe answered. I stumbled and Ishtar grabbed my arm and hauled me back up. Suddenly, a little to the west of us, a pinprick of light lit up in the sky like a single star shining through the swirling chaos to guide us. Ahead of us, the hikaris changed directions and went toward the little light.

" We need to follow them! He said to follow the lights!" Ishtar said. He still had a hold of my arm and dragged me along as he plowed into the sand and wind, Tepe and Yami following in our wake. No one questioned him. I looked to my right and saw the woman walking beside me. There were others in the darkness, but I didn't look at them. I trained my eyes on the little light and the three little hikaris ahead of us. It took us a minute to catch up with the hikaris.

" Yugi!" Yami boomed. All three of them froze and turned slowly.

" Where's Yuki?" I pleaded. Malik gave me an odd, sort of blank stare.

" She's up there." He said quietly, pointing to the little light in the sky.

" She needs us." Ryou added, gripping Malik's hand.

" We have to go to her." Yugi finished. Malik turned abruptly and lead the other two off. Ishtar stepped after him.

" Wait-" he managed to get out before he ran head first into some kind of barrier. We all watched, transfixed in horror, as he pressed his hand against a hard barrier. He began to pound it while Tepe, Yami, and I lunged at it, scrambling desperately, each screaming for our hikari. Someone grabbed my shoulders and hurled me backwards. The woman stood over me.

" You have to go that way!" she told me, pointing to the west. " Follow the barrier around until you make a ninety degree angle with Ishtar and Bakura. Then wait."

" What's happening?" I asked her.

" What do you think is happening? She's trying to save you." I was told gruffly.

" I don't know what's happening. I can't feel her." I whispered.

" You can thank her for that. She asked Ma'at to do it. Actually, she forced Ma'at to do it. So you can live on without her."

" I don't want to live without her!" I screamed. I hated her right then. I hated her because she was saying what I couldn't bring myself to believe. She looked at me with remorse.

" This is my fault. I know that. But she's made her choice, just like you made yours so many times." She said. " Now, go. Go or she will fail."

I ran over the sand dunes, ditching my high heeled shoes as I went. I ran until I found myself at a ninety degree angle with Tepe, Ishtar was still getting into position. I felt hard, casting about with my soul for Yuki. There was no warmth, no welcoming glimmer of her essence.

Himeko, can you hear me? a voice suddenly asked in my head.

God! Yuki! Where are you? I can't feel you! I'm so cold and I'm scared- God, Yuki, what's happening? I cried out.

I'm not sure where I am. It's bright. I can't really see. I'm sorry you're cold, Himeko, but I can't do anything about that anymore. she responded slowly.

Then she was right……… I whispered.

I don't have much time, Himeko. You know what's happening. The world is ending. I made Ma'at break the curse, so that you could go on living. I need your help. I have to make this happen now. I can't do it alone. I can't just let this happen. I can't just let everyone die. Not you, not the boys, not Seto, not anyone. I can fight this, I've got the ability to change things. But I need your help. I just need you to believe in me, that's all. I have to start with you. The other hikaris have picked me up and they're pounding my mind down. Just tell me you believe, Himeko, and there's a future for you. God, Himeko, you should see their faces! Yuki exclaimed that last part joyously.

What? Who? I asked.

Your children. Yuki answered. They have your eyes. They can't wait to meet you.

You can see the future? I asked, floored by the prospect of me having children.

Possible futures. This one I particularly want to come true. It won't if you don't believe in it. In me. Yuki said. Himeko, grant me this. Give me this. Give me the knowledge that you will go on and live, and I can do this. I can deal with anything else. I'm running out of time, Himeko, so it's your call.

I do believe in you. I always have. I told her.

Then kiss your babies goodnight for me every night, Himeko. I love you. she said.

And then she was gone.

Isis+

I was in a panic. I ran out over the dunes, screaming.

" Malik! Ishtar! Yami! Malik!" I screamed, following Seto Kaiba as he sped ahead of me, screaming for Yuki. I got a nice, intimate view of him running head first into something, and hitting the ground hard. I hit it too, whatever it was. Everyone was screaming, crying, pleading. I buried my face in my hands and begged the gods to just be able to hold them one last time before the end.

Isis. someone said in my head abruptly. I knew the voice.

" Yuki?" I half wailed, half screamed. The others were doing it around me, too.

Isis. I'm not just talking to you. I'm talking to pretty much everyone except for Himeko. After this, I have to talk to everyone else in the world. I need a favor, Isis. she said quickly.

" Anything!" I cried.

I need you to believe in me, Isis. I need you to believe that there was a reason, for all the pain and the suffering and everything. I need you to believe that good can still come of this. I need you to believe in the power of hope. Believe in me, Isis, and I promise you won't regret it."

" Of course I believe in you!" I said.

Even if I couldn't promise you that I'd ever see you again? Even if I couldn't promise you that you'll even survive the next few minutes?

" Yes! Even then!" I cried. Then she was gone. " I believe in you because I love you!" I told her, and I knew she heard.

Jou+

In the years that have passed since that day, I have often thought of myself and my friends and the witnesses of something great. Of course, the whole world took part, but we were there, we saw it with our own eyes. We saw history unfold before our eyes. We watched as a legend was born.

Yuki spoke to Himeko, her other half, before anyone else. Himeko's belief in her was detrimental. Then she spoke to us, the other yamis and hikaris and the mortals that waited outside the first barrier. She asked us all the same thing, to believe in her. She did not waste time telling us it would be okay, that she loved us, nothing like that. She promised us nothing. We believed in her because it was the natural thing to do.

Then, Yuki reached out to the world. Every living person, man, woman, and child, was touched by Yuki that night. She called them by name, beseeched them to believe. She promised nothing, she offered no rewards. And yet, a baffling amount of people immediately answered her. Millions upon millions, from every walk of life and every class or social standing, from thousands of racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds from all the corners of the globe answered Yuki's universal call. And millions upon millions more answered her after only a few seconds hesitation. What astounded me was the sheer magnitude of it all. The massiveness of what Yuki did. Of course, I had no idea what was going on right then, at that exact moment. Only later did I become aware of what happened. And all the while, the little light in the sky grew brighter and brighter, in the face of the impending darkness. It grew until you couldn't look at it. It grew until you could see it from space. And then…

The world was engulfed with light. I was surrounded by it. I was so hot, I couldn't see. But I wasn't uncomfortable. I was thrilled. I was surrounded by Yuki's warm, comforting presence. I could feel her soothing my fears, my grief. I could feel her comforting me and supporting me. I could feel her warm, loving presence as keenly as though she were standing right behind me. When I think about how I felt while Yuki was with me in that moment, I realize that I felt safe. I felt secure. There was nothing to fear. I felt like a little child who's just had a bad nightmare, and now his mother is rocking him back to sleep, stroking his hair and murmuring in his ear. It was almost as though Yuki was whispering in my ear, " It's alright, it's alright. Everything's alright. It was just a bad dream, you're fine. All's well, all's well. You're safe now, nothing evil can get you now. You're safe."

Himeko+

I woke suddenly, not remembering having fallen asleep. I was laying facedown on the sand. The first thing I noticed was the silence. Everything was peaceful and quiet. There was no roaring. The next thing I noticed was the light. There was sunshine. I rolled over and sat up, looking around. It occurred to me to find my brothers.

" Yami?" I called questioningly. I was shocked by how alone I felt. Castoff. Like there was something familiar that I was missing, and I sorely wanted it back. But I couldn't quite think of what it was.

" Isis?" a familiar voice called. I lurched to my feet and turned, right into Tepe's arms. I breathed in his scent while we hugged each other. " Are you all right?" he asked.

" Yes. Are you?" I asked. I still couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was desperately wrong, despite how peaceful everything felt. Tepe nodded his answer. " Where's Yami?" I asked.

" I'm over here." Yami suddenly spoke up, and we turned to see him to our left. " Are you guys okay? Where's Ishtar?" he asked. Tepe and I both told him we were fine, at which point Ishtar stumbled up. There were tears on his face.

" Ishtar! Are you okay?" I cried, running to him. He stared at me.

" I'm fine. I don't understand why I'm crying. I'm fine." He said, reaching up to touch the tears on his cheeks as though reminding himself they were there. He suddenly looked at me again, bewildered. " I'm fine… Gods, I'm fine…" That was when it occurred to me that Ishtar was talking. Full, complete, non-stuttering sentences. " But, how…?" he whispered. Then, I suddenly remembered. I remembered Yuki pleading with me to believe in her. I remembered feeling the need to do something. I remembered giving her all my power, I remembered being powerless as the darkness reached out to swallow me. I remembered the wave of light that cut through my middle in a blinding flash of searing pain, sweeping away the darkness with it. I remembered the sense of falling, utterly alone and falling. I started to cry too.

Terror bloomed within me like a hideous flower. I wanted more than anything for it not to be true. I wanted more than anything for once to be able to completely deny my reality, I wanted to have the power to change my situation. I tore off over the dunes, screaming like a banshee.

I don't understand. Nothing I ever do makes it change. Nothing I ever do changes the fate of the people I love. Every attempt I make at protecting them, changing their fate and mine, only seems to make things worse. What about free will? Don't I have the ability to create and affect my own destiny, and those of the people I love? Doesn't the fact that I lived at all make a difference? Doesn't the fact that the woman I was born from lived and loved make a difference? Doesn't the fact that she traded her life for mine and Yuki's make a difference? Doesn't the love she had for her family and friends change something? Doesn't the fact that after all this time and pain, Tepe and I can still love one another change something? Doesn't the fact that Ishtar spoke in full sentences make a difference? Doesn't the fact that Yami is moving on make a difference? Or was it all farce? Was it all just a cruel joke, maneuvering us to fit the whims of gods?

I saw them walking of a hill of sand, cresting it as I crested the one opposite to it. The four of them walked slowly. There was Isis, the Princess of Egypt, and her brother the Pharaoh, in all their glory. There was Tepemkau, the great King of Thieves, his eyes downcast. There was the man with the golden hair, the scribe whose eyes I only faintly recalled from somewhere in the dark, hidden depths of my past, and in his arms was the limp form of Yuki, hanging as though dead.

My world went still as I ran to them, ripping Yuki away from them. I was screaming, I think, Yuki's name, but I heard nothing. I felt for breath, for heartbeat. My questioning caresses were answered only by stillness. I sat silent for a moment, before bowing my head and clutching her cold body to mine. My lips parted and one long, uninterrupted scream fled my lips, a mournful howl that came from the very bowels of my being that protested every single injustice I had endured and simply could not bear any more.

In the end, nothing I did or tried to do made any difference at all.

They came, running and screaming at me, questioning me. I didn't answer them, just took in a rattling breath and howled more. Yami grabbed me while Tepe and Ishtar pulled Yuki out of my arms. The hikaris came. There was yelling, screaming, crying, but I drowned them all out, filling my ears with my own wail. When I looked back, the four were gone, and I was alone with Yuki's empty, lifeless body.

Somehow I was pulled to my feet and made to walk, stumbling along with Tepe half-leading me, half-carrying me. My wails faded to horrified whimpers. Then I saw the mortals. I saw Seto Kaiba and froze. Gods, not this.

He was silent as Ishtar handed Yuki to him. He stared at her with his face blank and cold as stone.

" This isn't what I wanted." Someone suddenly said. I turned to see her, the woman in the chaos, the source of this never-ending river of sorrow, Isis, the cursed Princess. " I never wanted this. But one thing led to another, and now I find I not only set the end of the world in motion, but I also brought about the only person who could either stop it or move it along."

" You… You killed her… You killed my baby…" I growled.

" I made her. And you." She corrected.

" And now you've killed her." I spat. " You… You set this in motion. You… You never paid the price. You just died, you ceased to exist. We paid the price, you bitch! I paid the price! Yuki paid the price! Gods in heaven, we paid the price for your arrogance! Not just me, not just my baby, but them, all of them, Yami and Yugi and Ryou and Tepe and Malik and Ishtar and all the mortals and those poor little children who suddenly no longer have the only mother they've ever known! Cowardly bitch, daughter of dogs! You get a nice float in limbo while you let children, babies even, carry the weight of your decisions!"

" Yes." She agreed, and I sneered at her, although I was momentarily silenced. " Yes, it was my decision that started all of this, and it is my fault that this has happened. It is, in effect, my fault that those children are now motherless yet again. If that is what you wish to believe. But in truth, I only started this. It was Yuki who finished it. Yes, my decision forced her hand. Yes, my decision left her with no other acceptable options. Yes, Yuki, being Yuki, could never have chosen to do anything but what she did. But it was Yuki who chose to defy the gods. It was Yuki who had the strength to change things. In the end, I was a pawn. I was played, baited right into a trap. I made the decision the gods and Nepano wanted me to make, and so has it been since. Every decision any of us have made since that moment has all been part of an elaborate farce to bring about the end of the world. Yuki was the one who was strong enough to see through her own eyes and with her own heart, and act accordingly. It was not me that made it right. It was not you. We are both too steeped in hatred. It was Yuki. I began this. You propelled it. Yes, you. You are just as guilty, you gave it a path after my death. Yuki ended it. It was the babies, darker half of myself. The millions of babies. She gave them a chance to live their own lives and make their own destiny. She gave you what I could not. A second chance to make things right."

" Shut up!" the snarl that ripped out into the air came from Ishtar's lips, and he glared at them as though he would kill them in just a moment, but wanted them to know fear first. " You just shut up! You don't know her. You don't… You can't… You know the essence, the make-up, you know the gears and the wheels that make her up, but you don't know her! You never knew her! You never saw her smile, never heard her laugh, you never got to hear her say that it would be okay and just bask in the hope that she gave the people around her just by existing! The blame is not all yours, we know that! But you make a wonderful scapegoat, and we've only just begun to grieve, so you can just shut up! Yes, the millions of babies… I don't doubt it, not for a moment." He laughed and then looked at them. " Do you want something?"

" We have a deal for you." The Pharaoh began. " One of you must give all your power-"

" You want more?" Yami spat. " I did what you could not. I suffered what you could not. I live with what you could not, and you want more?"

" You're not listening. It's a deal, you'll get something in exchange." The King of Thieves interjected.

" What do you have that we could possibly want?" Tepe muttered.

" Go away." Ryou said suddenly. He and the other hikaris had knelt with Seto, gently caressing Yuki's body. " Just go away. You've given us nothing but pain." Malik and Yugi nodded.

" Just listen, all we need is-" The Princess attempted and Malik leapt to his feet.

" You listen!" he cried. " We've given you everything, everything! Our families, our lives, our bodies, and now Yuki! We have nothing left but each other and our power, and now you ask for that too! When will it be enough! You are responsible for the fact that I exist, that I get to have such wonderful friends, and I thank you for it! But I've paid my dues! I've paid you in flesh and blood, as have Ryou and Yugi! The yamis have paid you in agony, torment, and madness! I've paid, see my payment!" he ripped off his shirt and turned his back to them, displaying the horrid marks. " And yet it's not enough! You still ask for more!"

" But we don't ask on our behalf, or on that of the gods. We ask on Yuki's behalf, because she cannot, or will not, ask for herself." The scribe said.


End file.
